


Terrible People

by thegingermidget



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M, No Smut, POV Alternating, Post-Battle of Starkiller Base, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-06-05 17:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6714289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegingermidget/pseuds/thegingermidget
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving Starkiller base smoldering, General Hux believes his failures have been forgiven. Supreme Leader has given him a new assignment: to accompany Kylo Ren in the final steps of his training. At first, this seems like a small price to pay for his life, but he soon realizes that there is far more at stake.</p><p>Kylo Ren is recovering from the battle of Starkiller Base. After being utterly humiliated, he strives to sink ever deeper into the depths of the Dark side of the force. However, he continues to find his efforts thwarted by a mysterious figure and a power the likes of which he has never known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aboard the Finalizer Once More

Kylo Ren wasn't sure if he was dead. Was he in so much pain that he couldn't feel anything anymore, or was he now drifting through the afterlife? Was he off in the black endless void of space, or was it simply the dead star above this lightless planet? He seemed unable to move and this added to all of the other emotions raging within him as he lay in the cold snow.

He decided he was indeed alive when he heard the high pitched whine of a ship landing and the low rumble of the planet beneath him. He might as well have been dead.

General Hux climbed out of a TIE fighter. He commandeered the ship to track down Ren and had found his body lifeless in the snow. Supreme Leader Snoke had ordered him to find Ren and bring his apprentice to him. The orders had been explicit.

But he wasn't told to expect this: a defeated Kylo Ren, mask-less, beaten, and bloodied. He was like a kicked dog, wounded on the field of battle. He had collapsed against a tree in an attempt to hold himself upright and his head was raised to the sky. He was coated in blood, likely his own.

Aboard the Finalizer, the two of them had strutted about with authority and malice. They had been enemies for the few months they'd known each other, but both knew that together they would rule the galaxy.  
Hux had rarely seen Ren without the mask, his method of becoming a boogeyman aboard the ship. Now he could see the boyish face it had always hidden, marred by a thick bleeding gash slashed between the eyes, across the bridge of his nose.

He wished he could summon some of his old confidence now, some of that asshole-ish, snarky, and snobbish person he had enjoyed being for so long. He needed some thought like 'Wow Ren, you really fucked up' to cross his mind, but he couldn't summon the hatred for Ren. Inside there was nothing but pity and was that warmth? Did Hux feel the need to protect this poor broken man? Why weren't those the kind of thoughts being suppressed right now?

"For fuck's sake." he muttered as his knees sunk into the snow and he pulled one of Ren's arms over his shoulders. Snow immediately soaked through the knees of his uniform and more was still falling, though Hux supposed it could be ash.

Hux had never noticed Ren's actual body, he couldn't recall a time when it wasn't draped in flowing black robes. He had never doubted Ren's height, over six feet tall and being completely uncooperative in being dragged towards the TIE fighter. The force user was also heavier than he expected and... stronger too?

Ren sensed he was being moved but still seemed incapable of doing anything about it. Slow, tired anger built in his chest.

"Gen-"

"Shut up, Ren" Hux bit out, struggling under the other man's weight. After a few moments, he made it to the cockpit and buckled him in.

As Hux fired up the engines and hastily plotted in coordinates. 

"Can you even fly this thing?" Ren had earned a few moments of lucidity.

"I can practically build this 'thing'. What happened to shutting your mouth for once?"

The core of the planet had been destabilized by the destruction of the base, they had only a few minutes before it collapsed in on itself in a fiery implosion. Before leaving, Hux had left Lieutenant Mitaka as second in command, with orders to get as much of the Finalizer crew on board and into the nearest system as soon as possible. They were to reconvene once Hux had singlehandedly retrieved the fallen Ren.

The TIE fighter was quick and surprisingly agile. It was sensitive to his every touch which caused the small fighter to shake and rock about violently if he let his focus drift for too long. A more experienced pilot would have been impressed by its capabilities, but Hux was more concerned for the safety of his injured quarry. He cursed his lack practice. It had been years since Hux had flown anything for himself. How long had it been? Five, ten years, even?

He tried to take advantage of Ren's consciousness for as long as he was able.

"What happened out there? Did you find the girl? The traitor?"

The answers however, were not especially clear despite being forthcoming. He caught snatches and the beginnings of thoughts that never quite made their way to endings.

"It was Rey. Little Rey", "I can't believe she-", "How old would she be now?", "FN-2187", "My grandfather…"

After a few moments Ren's train of thought became a low, slow rumble and Hux knew he had lost consciousness again.

Flying became a bit easier when he knew Ren wouldn't be able to judge his competency as a pilot, but his fear and anxiety left him agitated. Adrenaline was poisoning his reasoning and leaving him nervous and scared. 

Hux let out a small breath when they hailed the Finalizer after about 30 minutes of flying. They were aboard within soon after, and troopers swarmed the fighter and helped the two men out.

"Lord Ren must be taken to the infirmary at once."

Lieutenant Mitaka stepped forward from the fray. "Yes, sir."

He motioned for two troopers to carry the incapacitated Kylo Ren to the infirmary. They barely touched him when they heard it, an awful agonized scream. All eyes shot to Ren, but aside from his pained expression, he was making no noise. There was no doubt that the sound was emanating from him and everyone was affected by it. The two nearest stormtroopers scrambled to remove their helmets and revealed faces streaked with blood dripping from their ears and noses.

The scream ceased and everyone was left in a loud silence. The two stormtroopers collapsed and the others stood stock still, not sure what to do.

Mitaka cleared his throat, trying to appear calm but his eyes were wide in shock. "What are you standing around for? Move him."

After some hesitation, two new troopers stepped forward to carry Ren.

"The rest of you will evacuate the med-bay of all patients." ordered Hux.

"But sir-" The disobedient lackey was silenced by Hux's patented death stare.

"You had a question, AR-3429?"

"The rescued victims from the Starkiller collapse need treatment."

"Place them in the cargo area until we can find somewhere better for them."

"Yes sir." The stormtrooper straightened himself in an attempt to rectify his mistake.

With everyone mobilized once more, Hux followed Ren to the infirmary and was accosted with another bout of mental screaming. This time nearly crumpled him to the floor. He noted the expressions of those around him and met them with cool indifference. 

"As you were, troopers." He continued swiftly to the medbay.

Everyone but the doctor had left the room in short order. A humanoid doctor with smooth purple skin and a black headdress that didn't appear Order-issued was the only person left. She was pacing around Lord Ren's body moving various screens and vocally ordering various scans. She was so focused on analyzing her patient that she didn't notice Hux as he approached the opposite side of the examination table.

The doctor jumped when she noticed the dark figure staring across the table. Something squirmed under her headdress. Hux assumed she had some kind of tentacle hidden under the wrappings. Her blue eyes widened for a moment and locked with his before, quickly resuming her work.

"Ashteh Guiano, doctor and medical technician aboard Finalizer for six standard months. Since you are clearly eyeing the hijab. No, it is not First Order-issued. Yes, it is for religious reasons. No, I am not willing to discuss. You've also noticed the tentacles. I am Twi'lek."

Hux raised his pale brows at the sudden onslaught of information he didn't ask for.

"Yes... well-"

She proceeded, hardly noticing his fluster. "Lord Ren has sustained several injuries in battle. I've taken the liberty of removing most of his cloths and clearing away the dried blood while the scans are performed. It appears he suffered a bowcaster wound in his lower abdomen that did not go all the way through. He then began to bleed out, however the wound is at least an hour old. His belt was an attempt to slow the bleeding. He suffered other wounds on his left leg, right shoulder, and notably his face, though the blaster wound is the most serious. Otherwise, he is likely suffering from the first stages of frost bite, hypothermia, and his lack of consciousness is likely the result of shock."

Hux was impressed by her thoroughness and professional demeanor. She did not have quite the robotic behavior of a droid, but seemed self-important, like she knew her own worth.

"Right, so-"

Another sonic mental attack hit the both of them, weaker this time.

"Kriffing- What the hell are those?" asked Hux in a shout.

Ashteh's lekku wriggled beneath her hijab, likely in pain or discomfort.

"Mmm, yes those. He's had a few of them when I've treated him previously, though never so severe. I consider them, well... they're like the death throes of a force user. He's not going out without a fight, without letting the whole galaxy know his pain."

She sounded poetic and very, very sad. "So he's dying?" asked Hux, trying not to believe it.

Ashteh studied a scanner and frowned. "No, he might have if he'd been out there for another hour. You've probably saved his life by bringing him in when you did."

Wasn't that going to be an interesting new development in their relationship. Hux turned his eyes to the form of Kylo Ren on the table. He looked almost innocent and fragile, all pale and covered in blood.

"He has no foreign objects in his body, all his wounds were inflicted by pulse weaponry. That makes care easier. I'll scan for nerve damage and begin inserting biomesh into his wounds. Lord Ren tends to be a quick healer so this will just accelerate the process."

"You sound like you've seen him in here rather often."

A droid rolled towards Ren's feet and began shining an orange warming light over them. "He gets injured more than he would like people to believe. Most of the time it's minor cuts and scrapes because I hear that he's actually a huge klutz. I've also learned it's not easy being the Supreme Leader's apprentice."

"I never would have guessed." said Hux sardonically.

"No, I don't suppose you would. Well, if you're going to stand there you may as well help. The opposable thumbs on the droids are not quite as nimble as they should be for wrapping bandages in unique places. If you could use this to tape his face?"

She held out a square of biomesh, medical tape, and scissors. Hux would have laughed at the thought of labor, but now merely scowled and accepted the supplies.

Ashteh smiled her first real smile towards him. "We'll make a medical technician out of you yet."

Hux attempted to mimic what she was doing to Ren's leg on his face. He wondered whether the droid might have, in fact been more adept than he was at medical care.

"How have you gotten stuck with caring for Lord Ren? Surely you and the other doctors could switch out every once and a while."

"Lord Ren generally requests my services personally." she said, not looking up. Hux wondered if Ren might have some bizarre predilection for the Twi'lek. "I'm usually the only one who doesn't mind his violent mood swings and having things thrown at me while I work."

Hux laughed and remembered the slashed maintenance kiosks. "I can imagine he's not the best patient."

She looked up suddenly. "He's not terrible…No, not at all actually. It's hard to explain. I haven't been in this station very long. Actual patient care is something you learn as you go after years of schooling. He- I've never worked on a Jed- a force user before." She caught herself before saying 'Jedi' and Hux raised an eyebrow. "With him, I know when I'm doing something right. It feels... good."

She saw Hux's strange expression. "You know the strange mental attacks the entire ship got once he was on board?" Hux nodded, they were hard to forget. "Imagine the opposite, just a glow of warmth and light. If he's in a deep enough state of unconsciousness when I heal him, you might feel it too."

There was a small smile on her face and it left Hux uncomfortable somehow. He straightened his great coat. "Right then. I'll leave you to the rest of it."

"Good night, General." Ashteh said as he left.

After returning to his rooms, he realized it was 0400 hours and that he'd been awake for nearly a day and a half. Contemplating the genocide of billions and then fleeing for your life was not something Hux did every day, and it had kept him awake a little longer than he would have liked. Such were the sacrifices of leadership, he mused sarcastically. 

"Set alarm for 0900 hours. Send a com to Lieutenant Jamep that he will cover the first two hours of beta shift, and I will be prepared for morning meeting."

"Yes sir." answered his private AI. "Shall I alert you with his response?"

"No, begin night mode."

"Good night, sir."

He prepared himself for bed, stripping his dirty uniform and depositing it in the receptacle for the cleaning bots. In his nighttime ritual, he began to feel the weight of the enormous day upon his eyelids and knew he would likely need more than five hours of sleep. Nothing he could do about that now.

Hux crawled into his stiff regulation bed and tried to go to sleep. He wasn't used to having much trouble going to bed, but tonight was different. Sleep eluded him for what seemed to be hours before he settled into a rough semi-conscious sleep. He prayed he didn't dream. He thought of Ren down in the medbay and wondered if he was still naked, bare, and defenseless on a tray. He thought of the Doctor he had met and wondered if there was more to that relationship than she had let on. In his thoughts there was Phasma, whom he hadn't seen since the Starkiller collapse. He didn't doubt that she'd survived. She had a rugged way about her, as though she could never be killed, never be destroyed, and never be beaten. He'd once thought of Ren like that, when they used to be at odds in everything, when he used to wear that stupid mask like he was Darth Vader incarnate. Before the end of Starkiller, when it seemed that nothing was ever going to change.


	2. Dreams and Waking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2!  
> A little sooner than I was expecting, I'll try to settle into a weekly routine. I was editing this piece and found I couldn't wait to post it. Enjoy!

Hux dreamt he was walking through the halls on Starkiller base. It was impossible to tell exactly where in the base he was. Though he had designed the base himself, lesser details like hall design were left to underlings. He was lost on his own base.

He heard something that sounded like a scream off to his left, like Ren earlier today, and he made his way towards it apprehensively. He turned a corner into a familiar hallway, but found himself in Snoke's dark audience chamber. The Supreme Leader was nowhere to be found, his hologram absent front the center dais, but a teenage boy was crouched on the ground, sobbing over another boy. Hux noticed a shock of red hair on the fallen boy. They were both covered in blood.

"Master!" The live boy called out. He had wide brown brown eyes that didn't see Hux yet. His dark hair hung around his rather large ears. "Master, I've fulfilled your wishes. Please! Help me." The boy searched the chamber with his eyes, looking for Snoke to answer his prayers. Those prayers remained unanswered by the silent room. The boy visibly jumped when he noticed Hux and his hands alighted on his weapon, a makeshift lightsaber.

"Who are you?" he barked, his tears turning to anger on his cheeks. It was Ren, it had to be. He didn't wait too long for an answer. Hux found his dream-self unable to speak.

The boy turned his back to Hux and gestured about wildly to someone who wasn't there. "Is this another test?" he shouted to the open room. "Have I not yet proven myself worthy?"

He collapsed to his knees, wracked with sobs. "I've killed him. I did everything you asked and I know myself to be ready. Please! Teach me." His voice echoed throughout the hall. Seconds seemed to pass so slowly.

"Who are you?" The boy had turned around so sharply that Hux hadn't seen him do so. Hux was shocked when the boy addressed him again, softer this time. "Who are you?"

He turned away and found himself on the Finalizer, a few corridors away from the mess hall. He heard the raised voices of a brawl coming from an open door.

A group of stormtroopers surrounded a black cloaked figure on the ground and kicked him. The man appeared unconscious. Hux tried to shout to them, but felt like something was clawing at his throat.

Captain Phasma stepped into view. "What are you doing here, General? Come to watch the show? You have ordered this and it is done."

Her chrome helmet's face twisted into a smile. She took off her helmet to reveal Snoke's face beneath. Yellow fire blazing in empty eye sockets.

Hux's eyes shot open. He woke in a cold sweat and bolted upright in bed. His racing heart seemed the only thing out of place. He closed his eyes and slowly, its beat returned to normal.  
When he reopened them, his heart nearly stopped as he was startled by a black cloaked figure seated beside his bed. Kylo Ren inhabited the only chair in his room. He was not wearing his mask, which seemed odd to Hux. He'd only seen Ren's face a few brief times and this face was so very real.  
He appeared bored until he noticed Hux noticing him. Ren stood, walked over to Hux on the bed, and leaned down to look Hux in the eyes. He had dark brown eyes perched on the far end of a long nose.

"There you are. We weren't finished with our conversation. Who are you, General Hux?"

Hux's alarm went off at 0900 hours, and he could not have been happier for it.  
\-----------------  
Kylo Ren had a similarly poor night's sleep. In his dreams he found visions of the worst moments in his life, times when he felt weak and vulnerable; when he had doubted his own training the most. It was psychological torture, and he had no doubt that it was punishment from Snoke.

He tried to escape his own mind a few times, clawing at the inner walls of his consciousness. He deserved this, he told himself eventually. He had been weak. He had allowed that scavenger to distract him, beat him. Even killing his father, while it been an act fueled by his own raw hatred now felt like a failure. It had seemed like the he was finally ridding himself of Ben, but now it seemed like he had actually brought him back to the surface again. Had his hatred made him powerful or weak? 

He needed Snoke, needed to be set back on the path of darkness. He knew he didn't belong in the light and yet he found it always creeping up on him, peeking between the cracks in his armor. He wasn't sure if his actions had made things better or worse.

He found himself reliving his initiation to his apprenticeship with Snoke. In order to become apprentice to a Sith Lord, you must destroy his former student. He remembered feeling so desperate for purpose, to know his own destiny, to know everything about his powers, to become who he was supposed to be even if that was someone no one from his past approved of.

Ren could barely remember what that fallen apprentice looked like. The apprentice had been older than he had expected and easier to defeat than he could have hoped. There had been a sense of accomplishment when he was finished that almost overpowered the need to vomit. Snoke had left him alone for hours after that, in the form of another test. This was one that Kylo believed he had passed.

After several hours had seemed to have passed, Kylo felt that he had more control over his mental state. He couldn't wake himself up just yet, but he began to reach outwards through the force trying to find something to concentrate his energy on. He found a gray sort of energy, a sleeping person, he could work with that. He needed to distract himself from his own thoughts and escape into someone else's dreams.

He made his way in easily, easier than he had expected, and found himself aboard the Finalizer in chambers similar to his usual one's. They were the rooms of a high ranking officer, someone who kept everything in regulation order, despite the fact that they would never be subjected to room inspection at their high station.

They were the rooms of General Hux. Kylo nearly laughed at how stereotypically neat they were. He should have expected nothing less.

Hux was asleep in his bed. His hair was mussed and out of place across his forehead. Hux never let a single hair out of place when he was in 'General mode'. He looked strangely adorable, aside from the strained expression on his face. Hux seemed to be having a dream within a dream. Kylo relaxed for the first time over a day and seated himself in the bedroom. At least he was no longer reviewing a playlist of the lowest moments in his life.

Kylo closes his eyes in an attempt to view Hux's thoughts more clearly. In the dream he was speaking to Hux, shouting even. Who are you?

Hux was having dreams that were nearly as bad as his own. He reached over and touched Hux's forehead and concentrated on nothingness, just blank space. Hux relaxed and his tightened expression eased.

Hux sat up suddenly in his bed and locked eyes with Ren. He remembered Hux's dream and decided to play along. There was no need for Hux to know he was ever here.

He put on his darkest voice, "There you are. We weren't finished with our conversation. Who are you, General Hux?"

Hux woke almost instantly with his alarm and Kylo was left with his own thoughts once more. He was in a gray state of in between-ness, between his own mind and General Hux's. He lingered there in the abyss, preferable to his own tortured mind.

It was like being in Snoke's chamber, except the infinite blackness was replaced with a quiet empty gray. It seemed endless, but there seemed to be a definite shape along the edges like a room. Where Snoke's image would typically appear, a young man stood with glinting blue eyes and a scar along his eye.

Ren had no idea who it was.  
\--------------  
Hux took ten minutes to dress in his uniform and prepare himself for the fallout that was to be his day. Nothing was going to be easy today, he could already tell.

He was late this morning and in between shifts, so there was hardly anyone in the mess hall. He did however, note the presence of a blond trooper, clad in sparkling chrome armor but without the presence of her helmet. Captain Phasma was having a lie-in as well this morning.

Captain Phasma of the First Order was one of the few people Hux could consider a friend. That was if you could consider a friend someone with whom you complain about everyone else with. This seemed a pretty good definition, and Hux almost enjoyed talking with the secretly snarky Captain.

Hux gathered his breakfast and sat down across from her at the table. He began to eat she he remembered the dream he had last night, and the role she'd played in it, and had there been blood on her pristine armor? He couldn't quite remember now...

"Did you have a dream about me last night, General? Hope it wasn't too erotic, we are co-workers after all-"

Hux snapped to attention. Was everyone on this ship a damn force user? "I beg your pardon?!"

She laughed at that. He had a habit of reverting back to his proper Arkanis speech habits when he was flustered.

"Forgive me, sir," she said with mockery in her voice, "but the look on your face was hysterical, one I more often see you give Lord Ren when you think no one's watching you. It's like your remembering something about them and you're mind just kind of floats away..."

Hux could tell his face was slowly growing hot and pink, a hideous side effect of his pale ginger complexion. "I do no such thing."

She smiled again. It was not a very nice smile, Hux noted, but it was very rare to see the Captain without her helmet and rarer still to see her attempting to enjoy herself. "That's what Mitaka's always trying to say. He doesn't believe me, but I've got some good money placed on it with most of the crew-"

"Enough." He cut her off. "I am so sick of that whiny little prick and his force tantrums. I'm surprised he even made it back alive."

"You're just upset you can't court marshal him for going rogue on Starkiller. You can't control these Jedi-Sith types, they just don't seem to fit in with the hierarchy." She took a slow sip of what appeared to be sludge but was probably synth-coffee. "Have you seen him since you brought him on board?"

"You know that question is above your clearance, Captain." Her face hardened significantly. "But no, no I haven't."

"I heard he was worse off than me."

"He was pretty bad off. Is there a story to how you got back aboard the Finalizer?"

"There's a reason I'm not punishing my men for their disgraceful behavior on Starkiller." Tight rage gripped her features. Perhaps she wore the helmet to hide that overly expressive face from her superiors. She didn't have it within reach when Hux was around. The two had a bond of sorts that allowed her to relax a little around him.

"I had a run in with the traitor," Hux immediately knew she refered to FN-2187. The stormtrooper had made them all fools, but none more so than Phasma. "Him, Han Solo, and a Wookie." Hux's eyes widened, there had been no mention of the rebel war hero on Starkiller base. The presence of the Wookie nearly verified Phasma's authenticity, not that he'd ever accuse her of lying.

"They forced me to lower the shields..." Anger was preventing her from grinding out the rest. "And when they were finished they shoved me down the garbage disposal." She closed her eyes. "Do you know how we disposed of garbage on Starkiller base? I'm sure the traitor did, he was on sanitation duty often enough. I can't even begin to describe it. I will kill him, Hux. I was going to do it before but now? Now it is going to be slow, and painful."

Hux noted the passionate hatred in her voice. "Were you injured?"

"Nothing more so than my pride. I was kept in the cargo bay overnight so that they could make sure none of my bones had been fractured too badly from the compactor, checked my windpipe from where I was strangled, and then there were the burns..."

Hux was overcome with a strong desire to never find out how garbage was disposed. Such details could be left to underlings. If he was ever thrown down the garbage disposal, it sounded like he'd rather be surprised.

He checked the time on his holopad; only ten minutes until morning meeting. He would need to provide a statement as to his version of the events that transpired yesterday, most likely, and run the meeting. An alert appeared on his holopad, stating that Supreme Leader Snoke had just requested an audience. Hux checked the time again. This would definitely make him late.  
\--------------------  
Snoke's chamber aboard the Finalizer was almost identical to the one on Starkiller base. It was dark and impossibly large for a Star Destroyer. A person standing before the monolith form of Snoke felt ever so small in comparison.

Hux knew what was coming. They were to discuss the events of yesterday. The massive failure that some would view to be entirely Hux's fault. He had built another Death Star and brought shame and defeat to the First Order. He didn't believe that Snoke would see it that way, but it was a very real possibility.

This might be his last day to live.

He'd rather not think of it like that.

Snoke was waiting for him when he arrived. "Good morning, General Hux. I trust you slept well."

He did not wait for Hux to respond. "Where is Kylo Ren?"

"Supreme Leader, he was injured in the battle on Starkiller and remains in the medbay. I have not received any reports of a change in condition."

Snoke looked genuinely puzzled by this. "I had felt a change in his mental state... very well. There is no use in speaking with one of you and not the other. I give you my permission to attend the meeting late, go and check in on my apprentice. We have things to discuss when he is ready." 

"Yes, Supreme Leader."

"Continue on course to the coordinates I have sent you. I believe you should reach the destination in about thirty hours. Ren will be awake by then if it is true that is not already. You are dismissed."

The menacing hologram winked out of transmission.

Hux turned curtly on his heel and left for the medbay. He checked the time on his holopad; he would certainly be late.

The medbay was bustling with activity once more, perhaps there had been some change in Ren. He didn't see Ren on the open examining table he had inhabits the night before and took this as a good sign.

A medical assistant droid directed him to a private room off of the main bay. These few rooms were generally reserved for high ranking officers. Hux frowned at their use for Ren, someone who was not an officer yet still high ranking somehow.

Inside, Ren appeared asleep and the medical technician from the night before typing on a monitor.

"Good morning, general." said Ashteh.

 _'Good morning, Hux.'_ said a voice.

"Don't mind him he's been doing that for an hour or so. I think he's close to waking. I've never heard anyone vocalize through the force before. I think he's using the force to vibrate the molecules in the air..." She trailed off.

"Oh." He had been (worried, concerned, hopeful?) that the communication was more private and personal.

 _'It could be.'_ Hux turned red instantly.

"Are you alright, General? If you do not mind my saying so, you look a bit pale and those dark circles under your eyes don't look new-" asked the doctor.

"I'm fine. What about Lord Ren? When is he expected to recover?"

"Most of his major injuries have healed to the point where he can be moved with only moderate discomfort. It would be ideal if he did not resume training until tomorrow, but other than that he can be released when he finally wakes."

"When is he expected to wake?"

"Lord Ren transitioned from unconsciousness to REM sleep early this morning. He will likely wake within the next view hours."

Hux was confused. "If he's asleep how is he able to converse with us? Why can't he wake up?"

 _'I'm incredibly powerful, General.'_ Hux could feel his ears growing hot. How does someone mentally sound like they've got a rakish smile on their face?

Ashteh studied him with inquisitive eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, General? Let me get the assistant droid." She left before he could stop her.

Hux stared at the only other person in the room. Ren was sleeping, now Hux could recognize the difference. Ren's face was still a sight he was getting used to. He couldn't reconcile it with the masked psychopath he shared commandership with.

He had an interesting face, a human face. His nose was a bit beakish, his eyebrows a bit overbearing, and he had dark brown freckles dotting his pale, even complexion. And then there was his hair...

_'What are you doing, Hux?' He nearly jumped that time._

"I should be asking you the same question. Why can't you have this conversation aloud like a normal person?"

_'Since when have you known me to be normal? I can't wake up because I am too tired. I've depleted my body and left it with very little energy. I'm only human after all. The force can only do so much.'_

"But if you are so tired, how can you communicate?" He couldn't seem to stop himself from asking questions.

_'I am a creature of the force. It is a part of me. In fact, in my weakened state, this reaching out is unconscious. It's as if I am merely a youngling, with no control over my own abilities.'_

Hux contemplated the idea of being so attuned to the universe. Being so at peace that your own spirit melted away into the fabric of everything. He then thought of Ren, who usually seemed so far beyond peace. The expression on the man's face was placid, dissimilar to anything Hux had seen grace it before. It was almost…

The room's door slid open with a light swoosh. "General, if you would submit yourself to a brief blood test-"

Hux stood. "Absolutely not, I merely came for edification on Lord Ren's condition. I must be on my way."

Ashteh crossed her arms stubbornly. "You are under immense stress and are suffering from sleep deprivation. I'm surprised I haven't seen you in here earlier. I am under orders to treat those who I find suffering from illness. At least let me analyze a blood sample."

He was not playing games. "There is nothing wrong with me."

"Then a simple blood draw shouldn't hurt, should it?" 

This bordered on outright insubordination. Hux scowled. Secretly, he was wary of needles and always had been. However, he was not about to show weakness in front of an underling, who was overstepping her bounds.

He was about to argue, but steeled himself instead. With his greatcoat removed and his sleeve slid up past his elbow, he thrust his arm towards her assistant medical droid.

"Just get it over with." He graced her with a sardonic smile. "And then I'll be on my way."

"Of course, General."

He tried to mask a small cringe as a very long needle slipped easily and deeply into his veins. Ashteh collected a crimson vial. 

"I'll return in a moment with the results. Perhaps you will sit down until I return, General?" 

When the doors shut once more, Hux catered to his punctured arm. He really did hate needles. Though he did not want to give in to the whims of an up-jumped nursemaid, he sat on a bed close to Ren. 

There was no way he was actually sick, maybe a bit tired but that was natural for a man in his position. Surely all he needed was a few more hours of rest… a few hours he didn't have…

Hux jolted himself. His eyes had slowly begun to close. There was no time for him to sleep, he barely had time to sit here and humor the doctor. He checked the time on his holopad. The meeting was nearly complete.

"Send meeting agenda 05906 to meeting room A. Attach message: 'Unable to attend meeting. In counsel with Supreme Leader. Briefing shall continue at 10;00 hours tomorrow' end message." ordered Hux to his holopad.

"Yes, sir."

Hux let himself relax a little bit, his head and shoulders dropped their military bearing. At least he delayed that horrid meeting for another day. Perhaps he could let himself sleep… if only for another few minutes.  
\-----------------------  
He awoke to find himself completely supine, his shoes tucked neatly under the cot, and his great coat folded on the bed Ren was previously occupying. 

The sound of the doors opening made his head turn to look.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. The blood came back as I expected. No harmful pathogens, levels indicate lack of sleep and high amounts of stress. Treatment would be to get more sleep. Therefore, you are free to go."

Ashteh had rattled off far too many words far too quickly for someone who had just woken up to comprehend.

"How- how long was I out?" He cursed himself silently for stuttering.

"About six hours." She began packing away the supplies she had used to treat Ren earlier.

"And when did Ren leave?"

"About two hours ago. He went to his quarters."

She didn't ask him any questions. She didn't bother him any further. The Twi'lek was simply going on with her duties. Hux decided he liked the girl. He could see why Ren would choose her over other doctors, who had a way of always being so invasive and prying.  
He donned his coat and boots, adjusted himself back to a General's bearing, and pressed the panel on the door to leave.

"Thank you, Doctor, for your services."

"Any time, General. Keep an eye on Lord Ren for me." 

Hux rolled his eyes at the thought of someone else tasking him with babysitting the force user. Perhaps that was his mission now. He was likely the only person on board capable of going toe to toe with the overgrown child. 

"As you were, Doctor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far! :)


	3. Traveling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! The title makes it sound filler-y, but I promise its not. Hope you enjoy!

Kylo had left Hux looking more peaceful than he'd ever seen him. All the hardness that had been schooled into his features, vanished with the grace of sleep. He wondered if he looked like that when he slept. He probably did, damn it. 

He checked himself out of the infirmary without a doctor's approval. It was alright, Ashteh probably expected him to leave otherwise she wouldn't have left him alone. The two of them had come to an understanding over his time on the Finalizer. She didn't ask too many questions and he didn't retaliate by attacking the medical droids before falling unconscious. It seemed a mutually beneficial relationship.

With his cloak and mask donned once more, he felt safe again. He'd been vulnerable without them, too many people had seen what he hid underneath. Officers he passed in the halls used to avert their gaze or stared fixedly ahead when he passed. Now there were some, one or two fools here and there, who gave him a nervous glance. Their eyes searched his figure, creeping and investigating a person they had never dared to notice before. They had seen too much and now their eyes interrogated him. The person who seemed to be Darth Vader incarnate was a lie. He was a man underneath, almost still a boy.

It made him so, so angry. 

He made it to his room without incident, despite being subjected to the thoughts of every lackey aboard the Finalizer. _There he is. That punk ass bitch. That little girl managed to beat him. Heard he cried his way through the battle. Had to be rescued like a little kid. Where's his babysitter now?_

Normally, he was able to block out the thoughts of the those around him, lest he go insane with their inane chatter. That ability seemed to have been weakened from his time unconscious, something he needed to fix with a bit of meditation. Much as he longed to not be left alone inside his head again, he knew there were things inside himself that he needed to set right. 

A small sigh of relief escaped his lips when the door to his room sealed shut behind him. The voices were silenced by four inches of cold metal. His body slumped against the door as though exhausted. He was alone at last. Even when he was unconscious, part of him felt exposed and vulnerable like a raw nerve. 

He didn't have to go out there again. There were no official duties for him to carry out aboard the ship. If he wanted to, he could lock himself away until Snoke called upon him once more. It was very tempting.

Only allowing himself a moments rest, he set himself to meditation. It was a skill taught at a very young age at the Jedi temple. Honing one's mind was crucial to understand and wielding the force. Kylo had mentally severed that connection between meditation and his childhood and understood its importance to his training. He may have failed Snoke once, but he wasn't about to fail him once again by falling behind in his training.

This wasn't just about Snoke, though. If Kylo Ren was to become the most powerful force user in the galaxy he needed this training. He needed to understand himself and meditation was helping him do just that.

He dressed in a sleeveless black shirt and loose fitting pants. He didn't need to be comfortable in order to meditate, but the clothing would facilitate the process of dissociating his mind from his body. He lowered the light levels and burned light incense. He may have disabled the fire sensors in his quarters. The General never needed to know. 

Meditation came easily once the preparations were made. The gray space between reality and whatever lay beyond was a world of pure force. Tapping into that was difficult for beginners and a skill Kylo had only unlocked in his last few years of study. This was how visions of the future and the past became clearer, more coherent, and nearly tangible. Soon he would have access to all the secrets of the force and become his own master.

Snoke was aware of his abilities. He was proud that his pupil was accomplishing so much so quickly, but Kylo glimpsed something sinister in his master whenever he spoke of this particular talent, something he swore he was imagining. Snoke was not selfish like the Sith lords of old, he would not make the same foolish mistakes, but the dark side did lend itself to self-interest. To be safe, he had learned to keep these talents to himself unless pressed.

If visions were not forthcoming, he would find himself alone in the gray. It was peaceful, unlike anything he'd ever encountered in life. He could sit for hours at one with the force. It was a cool misty world. Sometimes he heard faint voices like wind or felt slight disturbances brush past him. He was not alone, and yet he was in perfect solitude. All things were present in the force, but only he was aware of them. Usually he didn't have to wait for hours. Memories crept up on him clearer than before, or visions approached him from the mist. In that way, this time was no different from any other meditation before it.

Kylo felt a hand on his shoulder.

Not his actual shoulder, mind you, his form in the force. This had never happened before.

"You." he said, an accusation though he was sure of what he was accusing the man.

"Kylo Ren." he answered. "I hope you appreciate the courtesy I am doing you by using the name you have given yourself. I appreciate the meaning of the names we make for ourselves."

Kylo was about to deny the truth of his past self. _By what other name would you call me? I am Kylo Ren._ But the vision, the grayness, began to blur and unravel. 

"You should know better than to deny the truth of yourself here." He swept his long bangs out from the front of his face. Kylo had a better view of his clear blue eyes. They glinted with sharp hints of gold.

The other man also had a way of knowing just what to say to set him on edge. "Who are you?"

"I shouldn't expect you to recognize me. I do not believe that even Luke would recognize me in this form." He made a vague gesture to himself. "I've come to help you."

Kylo scoffed. "Help me? What makes you think I need help, let alone yours?"

"I have watched you grow. I know the hardships you have faced and the light that haunts you. You struggle between the two sides of the force and it makes you weak. I know what that is like." 

Fear had risen in Kylo, blurring the edges of their existence. "You know nothing of me. In fact, your reminding me of another voice in my head, one that usually doesn't follow me here."

"That is because he can't. This realm is impossible for him to inhabit. Few force users have ever been able to send their consciousness here. I know you have no reason to trust me. I know you are afraid. I can feel it too." He looked away from Kylo his eyes following something invisible in the distance.

"You are not ready to seek your true path and that is fine. Your destiny is much greater than the path you now follow. Perhaps you can sense it already."

Kylo was about to refuse him once more.

"Your anger reminds me that we are kin. I hope we are more alike than Obi Wan believes. Forgive my presumption but I feel I know you Kylo Ren."

"Who are you?" Kylo repeated. It didn't seem there was much else he could say, without letting his anger and fear get the better of him, without losing contact with this specter all together. Kylo took in the form of the apparition before him. He was young, only about his own age; with blue eyes and brown hair he had noted before, worn long like his own; the man had a small scar above his right eye, and worn dark black and brown robes. It was obvious he was a force user, the robes and invasive knowledge he possessed signaled as much, but he didn't behave in the manner of anyone Kylo had met before. He was not level headed and cold like the Jedi, nor was he raging and cruel like Snoke. 

The man brushed aside his question once more."You will figure it out soon enough." This seemed like a Jedi response and Kylo's anger consumed him. The edges of the vision began to darken. The man smiled sadly.

"You will return here in time, once you've begun to see reason. I'll be with you Kylo Ren. May the force be with you."

Something in Kylo snapped. "Enough!"

The connection to his meditation was lost, and he jolted when his mind re-enter his body. For the first time since he had fought the traitor on Starkiller, he felt so irrationally, blindly angry. Snoke would be pleased.

He decided to take that anger out on his bed, which was in fact, a terrible decision. His lightsaber nearly set the poor fabric ablaze and there had been shreds of linen and padding everywhere, now wafting down from the ceiling. When he was finished he stood over his work, panting and hot, utterly disgusted with himself.

Snoke encouraged Kylo to use his anger, to practice channeling that anger into destruction and power. It didn't make him feel powerful. His lightsaber felt powerful. Using the force made him feel powerful. Entering the minds of others felt powerful. This exertion of strength felt childish and weak. 

He needed to quash these thoughts. This was the path to the dark side, the path he had committed his life to, the path his master wished him to follow. This was why he continue to fail. He lacked conviction.

Ben had never resorted to tantrums when he was upset. His mother used to say that she couldn't remember a time when Ben had cried and wasn't that odd? A baby that never cried? He had been quiet and submissive; eager to please and anxious to learn all that he could from his masters. Ben used to cry when he was alone. He never let anyone see that. Sometimes when he was upset, objects around him would fly from their places and crash to the ground. He'd been careful to mend things when they were broken back then. He took no precautions now. The boy he had been before Snoke was volatile and scared. No one had tried to understand him. Luke had always been so careful with him, like he was afraid Ben would break or explode or shatter under too much pressure. Perhaps he'd sensed Ben's fear, not realizing that his caution perpetuated that fear which turned to anger. Kylo Ren was not Ben Solo, but he was still afraid of being scared.

He needed to hit something; sweat a little bit. Time to leave his bedroom.

Several hours had passed while he was in meditation. It was now close to 04;00 hours, between the shift change for the crew of the Finalizer. Kylo was not a standard officer of the First Order. He was not beholden to the schedules that governed every other person on board. Kylo tried to keep his waking hours on a time table that made sense with the military time keeping he was still rather unfamiliar with. The General seemed to always be awake with the B shift who worked from 06;00 hours until 12;00 hours.

Kylo tried not to fixate on how long he had spent in meditation. He had never been away from his physical body for so long and the idea frightened him. His conversation with the man in the grayness had taken only a few moments, or so it had seemed. To have hours pass in the blink of an eye seemed dangerous, for reasons he couldn’t make out. He altered his mental state for a moment, he just wouldn't meditate until he spoke to Snoke. That objective set his mind at ease, until he recalled the man's appearance in his dreams. There was nothing he could do about those.

After such a long meditation, Kylo realized he needed to cater to the demands of his physical body, still recovering from the damage inflicted upon it within the last two days. After a blistering hot shower, dressing himself for exercise, and a trip to an empty mess hall, he made his way to the officer's training facilities. Kylo usually trained on his own, sometimes under the guidance of his master but often in his own quarters. When it came to physical combat, the force made a formidable, if not unstoppable opponent to those not similarly gifted.

Once there, he decided to operate one of the treadmills found on the gym floor. As he became older and stronger with the force, more of his technical training was left to his own discretion. When he was on-world with solid ground beneath his feet, he liked running as a supplement to combat and strength training. It felt raw and visceral like the force. Running for hours left him in his own head like meditation, and short bursts of speed left him weakened by exertion but strong in terms of energy and sheer muscle.

He didn't like to run with others around. He never took off his helmet in sight of others, and running required him to be left at his most base state. He was his most human then: sweaty, flowing with hormones, and the most exposed he ever let himself be. 

Running on a treadmill was nothing like running on planet, whether he was at Snoke's base or, dare he recall it, on Chandrila or any of the other worlds he called home for a time as Ben. Running on the machine was monotonous, regulated, and boring, but for a short time perhaps a half hour or so it helped. He couldn't precisely pinpoint how it helped, but it did. He never spoke to Snoke about running. He wasn't sure why.

He had made sure to come here only in between shifts, so that there was no chance of being disturbed. It was too early for the A shift to come in after their shift was complete, and the B shift was preparing to begin its time. This made it all the more surprising when two people entered the officers training area, about twenty minutes in.

It was evident that they had expected to see him there as little as he had expected to see them. General Hux and Captain Phasma both ceased their conversation when they saw Kylo Ren running on a treadmill, and Kylo had stopped the machine and jumped off when he heard the doors slide open. There was a brief awkward silence.

"General. Captain." acknowledged Kylo.

"Lord Ren." stated the Captain.

"We did not expect to see you up and around so quickly." said the General, who seemed strangely annoyed.

"Indeed." said Kylo taking into account the annoyance and being confused by it.

"I've just challenged the General to a sparring match," stated Phasma, who removed her helmet to reveal a pale blond of serious demeanor. Kylo wasn't sure if he'd ever been aware of the fact that she was, well, a she.

"You are free to join us." Phasma with a grin, as though she was issuing a threat rather than a pleasantry. 

"I should get on my way." said Kylo, and Hux looked slightly relieved. He turned to head to the showers.

"Unless you're afraid you can't beat me." she added to his retreating back. He turned.

"What was that?"

"Phasma, please. That is no way to address Lord Ren." The propriety of Arkanis speech had slipped into Hux's voice.

"My apologies. I was unaware the good Lord was so delicate." she sneered.

"What are you doing?" whispered Hux sharply. 

"Having some fun. What do you say, Lord Ren? Can you take me?"

Kylo Ren appeared to roll his eyes in exhaustion. "Of course I can 'take you'. Masterful in combat though I'm sure you are, you underestimate the power of the force."

"Prove it. One round in the ring and I'll leave you alone." She had the tone and bearing of someone who had never been beaten, who had always been the strongest, and had always been a bully. Kylo had known bullies, for brief times before he'd been able to shut them up for good. However, he was not about to give in to her baiting.

"The force is too powerful. It would not be a fair fight."

"Who said anything about a fair fight? I'm in the mood to have my ass kicked, Ren. I was going to settle for beating Hux for the umpteenth time. Only now, I don't think you're up to the task. I was hoping you'd be a challenge."

A flash of the previous night's dream flickered Hux's mind. "Enough, Captain." he said, voice full of a general's authority. "Why you would think to-"

"Fine."

The room was quiet once more. Hux looked furious. "What did you say?"

"I find your lack of faith in the force disturbing, but what I really can't stand is your lack of faith in me. I'm sure you've had your fair share of nasty battles, but I can assure you that they pale in comparison to the things I've done. You need a bit more respect for your superiors and I'm prepared to beat that lesson into you."

Phasma's malevolent smile had faded from her face. She had gotten what she'd sought from Ren, but she did not show any sort of outward triumph. Already she was calculating her opponent's weaknesses, she was not about to let Ren win. She betrayed only cool satisfaction.

"I'll just need a moment to change."

"I'll be waiting."

Hux sat himself on a weight bench against a wall. He rested his chin in his hand and crossed his legs in an attempt at comfort. "I knew you were out of your mind, Ren, but I never thought you were stupid."

"You don't think I can handle the likes of her?"

"Oh, I know you can. I just think it's a silly and irresponsible use of your fantastic cosmic powers to use them to bully someone else."

"She's hardly defenseless."

"Against me perhaps, but I've seen what you can do and you don't need to prove yourself to anyone. It's foolish to let her get a rise out of you and it's foolish to give into this childish anger." His tone was reminiscent of an exasperated parent.

"I'm not going to kill her, if that's what you're so concerned about."

"Because you've shown such restraint in the past."

Phasma re-entered the room. She had stripped down to her black underclothes, a tank top and tight leggings. The armor she usually wore may have exaggerated her muscular bulk, but she was still broad and immensely tall. Hux and those who faced her on the field of battle found her extremely formidable.

"Let's do this."

The three adjourned to the wrestling mats and the two opponents faced off. There was no talking, all of the trash talk earlier seemed foreplay to the main event taking place. 

Phasma snarled wolfishly and made the first move. She launched herself at his shoulders in an attempt to upset his balance, but Ren sidestepped with ease. Phasma was not to be defeated so quickly. She stepped backwards, kicking out at the back of his knees, a move he had not expected which did send Ren to the ground.

A part of Kylo's consciousness was being used to keep the force at arm's length. It naturally helped him with perception and agility, and he couldn't help that. Some part of him however, needed to defeat Phasma without resorting to the force. He knew she would hate that the most, knowing that he'd gone easy on her.

Phasma took advantage of Kylo's disadvantaged position and spun to land a solid kick to his side. The wound from the day before had healed perfectly, but the thought of her trying to use that as a weakness enraged him.

He swept his own legs beneath hers and felled her like a tree. He took the opportunity to land a harsh blow to her jaw.

In truth, they were evenly matched. They were similar in size despite the gender difference, and her years spent solely on training made up for their difference in strength. Kylo was impressed, in the way that only one who is certain of his victory can be impressed by his opponent. 

Hux cringed as the two fought like animals. He couldn't number the blows. Phasma appeared to hold her own against Ren, but he knew that was an illusion. He was watching for the moment Ren would snap.

Phasma had gotten Ren pinned on his back. Pausing for a moment to spit blood on the mat, she raised her leg for another brutal kick-

Ren moved faster than he had ever thought possible. In the blink of an eye he was behind Phasma and holding her in a choke hold under her neck. She grinned ferally, as though this was exactly what she wanted. Her foot connected hard between Ren's legs and she bit down on the arm around her neck. Ren released her instantly, furious.

Phasma was rallying for another volley of blows when she found herself unable to move and unable to breath. Her pale face had become flushed and blotchy red from exertion, and was slowly fading to blue. Veins in her forehead were blue and upraised.

"Enough." Ren looked to Hux who had stood before them. His concentration had not wavered from Phasma.

"You have made your point. Let her go." Phasma fell to the ground gasping loudly from the depths of her lungs. All of the air in the room didn't seem like it would ever be enough.

Hux shook his head at Ren. "You really are unbelievable."

"Thank you." Hux wasn't about to tell him that it wasn't a complement.

"I hope you didn't do any lasting damage, you both just got out of the infirmary."

"I took your advice, General, I was careful." He began fastening his cloak and preparing to leave.

"You did exactly the opposite. You are well and truly fucked if that was your attempt at being cautious."

He was about to place his helmet over his head and leave the training room. "I don't need to be cautious, Hux, that's what I have you for."

With that he sauntered out. Leaving Hux to deal with an irate but satisfied Phasma, who insisted she was fine and before promptly spitting out more blood. 

"I'm fine, General, you're boyfriend didn't dent the armor too badly." She said 'boyfriend' like it was a punch she was still throwing at Ren. "I didn't need your help, so don't expect any thanks for stepping in there."

"He was about to crush your windpipe like a tin can using his magic. How were you going to stop that?"

She moved towards the shower with a brilliant smile on her face, the most genuinely happy he had ever seen her. "You are not a fighter, Hux. You could never hope to understand. There is nothing like being moments away from death and knowing that only what you can do in that moment can stop it. It is a rush like nothing else."

She stepped into the showers, leaving Hux alone. Perhaps he wasn't a fighter. He'd trained at the Academy and had been more than proficient, but he had never sought battle or conflict in the way that Phasma or Ren seemed to. The two of them appeared reckless beyond reason. He thought of the look on Ren's face when he held Phasma with the force. Hux had seen him do it before, but had never seen his face. He had never seen the look on a person's face when they knew they had all the power in the world.

That was the kind of rush Hux was after, and he wasn't going to find it on a battlefield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some characterization going on with more plottiness in the beginning... Thanks for reading! I hope to begin weekly updates on Sundays from now on (Unless the mood strikes me like earlier this week ;) ).


	4. Planet Bound

Hux had been aimless when he'd left the infirmary. He could have gone to his room and done... something? He could have checked in on A shift at the bridge. He could have commed Snoke to update him on Ren's condition. In the end, he didn't do any of these things because he ran into Phasma who strong armed him into a wrestling match.

Hux had trained in combat at the Academy and received top marks, but against Phasma he may as well have been frozen in carbonite. He agreed to the challenge, mostly because he had nothing else to occupy his time. Perhaps she wouldn't wipe the floor with him too badly.

The debacle that ensued had been the result of Ren's childish pent up anger, much like all of the other incidents that happened on this ship. That man was impulsive, reckless, wild, impetuous...

These were traits Hux despised. They were the characteristics the First Order sought to crush for these were the seeds and the fruit of the chaotic rebellion. How Ren had gotten where he was today was an utter mystery to Hux.

After the melee he ventured to the conference room to perform his duties as General at last and lead the day's morning meeting. The eyes already seated at the table followed him as he took his place at the head of the table. No one was about to forget that he'd been remiss in his duties and been unaccountable for the last two days. The sharpest eyes of all belonged to third in-command Maglan, who had been given more power than he ought to have in the days of Hux's absence. Time to take that back.

"Maglan, update us on our arrival time and voyage status."

"General." he nodded. "As I said yesterday, we are on course for the coordinates sent by Supreme Leader, as instructed. The ship's hyperdrive was damaged in the battle and is leaking fluid into space. We have been able to execute a few small jumps into hyperspace, but not enough to get us to the coordinates before tomorrow. The technicians tell me that the hyperdrive should be fixed within the next three days. As it stands we shall reach the coordinates precisely at 08;00 hours tomorrow."

The officers present pretended to consider the information tried to avoid looking at Hux seated at the head of the table.

"Where is the destination?"

The officer looked tense. "We are headed for the Horuset system in the Esstran sector."

"Well you've narrowed it down to a solar system in all the Galaxy. Congratulations." said Hux drily. A murmur of laughter passed down the table.

"What can be found at the coordinates?" he asked when Maglan supplied no further information.

"Nothing, sir. The scanners and the database report that there is nothing at that location."

"What other bodies are in the system?"

"Just one planet, sir, Korriban." Everyone went rigid in their seats.

Hux vaguely recognized the name, though he could not remember why. "Why is that planet of import?"

"Sir," said another officer, a dark skinned woman. "It is the Sith home world."

Every face hid fear.

"Very well then. It is the order of the Supreme Leader that I, myself, accompany Ren to the coordinates. In the next few hours it shall become clear where exactly we are headed. I expect a direct com link when you do." He directed this at the now shaking, Maglan.

"Sir, we believe there will be a hidden planet of sorts at the given location." said a small blond petty officer, barely cleared to sit in on this meeting.

"That assumption was obvious and made hours ago, Wister. If no one has anything of import to add." He looked around without expecting to see any objections and receiving none. "Meeting adjourned."

Hux waited until everyone had vacated the conference room. He walked to a one way window overlooking the flight deck. A cold feeling had settled in the pit of his stomach and shivered down his back. Korriban was a ghost story. Worse than that, it was legendary described by elders as a hellscape for the wicked, a place where the despicable rest in agony for eternity.

 _Good thing we're not going there._ He thought wryly and laughed. He had no pretensions that the place they were headed to was going to be any better.

"General Hux." A low voice buzzed electronically from the table behind him. He turned to see the holographic form of Supreme Leader Snoke. "Come to my chamber at once. Kylo Ren will be waiting."

His meeting with Snoke was happening at last. He thought back to his last meeting with the two force users, when he had seen Ren's face for the first time, and seen him afraid. Hux tried to imagine that the circumstances of the meeting had not changed since then, that they were still mighty and victorious. The First Order was on the run, back to rebuilding in the shadows.

As Snoke had said, Ren was waiting for him in the chamber. His mask was tossed aside on the floor and his black hair was an unkempt halo about his head. He knelt in silent reverence to the monstrous figure of Supreme Leader Snoke.

"Ah, General. So good of you to join us." growled Snoke in his low rumbling voice. Ren's cloak billowed as he turned to see Hux for himself. 

"I have called the two of you here to discuss the mission I have assigned to you. I sense the ship is headed for the coordinates I have sent and you shall be orbiting the planet within a day's time. The two of you shall board a transport alone and come to the planet's surface." he turned to address Ren.

"Lord Ren will know where to find me once you are on planet."

"I have seen it, master."

"When you land, you shall send a comm to the Finalizer telling them to leave. Once, Lord Ren's training is complete, we shall send for them to retrieve you both."

Hux was suddenly nervous. There was nothing about being left on an untraceable planet with two dark force users. He'd be defenseless. Snoke laughed coldly. "Do not be afraid, General. I'm sure Kylo Ren will be a perfect guide."

The apprentice watched him with impassive eyes. "Of course, General. I'll see to it that you are perfectly safe." 

Snoke reclined on his throne. "It is settled then. I shall expect you both in three days time. Kylo Ren, I expect you to bring sufficient supplies for the two of you. Dismissed." The giant transmission flickered and disappeared. 

Ren swiped his mask off the floor. "How long until we reach the planet?" 

"About 12 hours."

He pulled his hair back expertly into a small knot. It was not unattractive that way. "Not much time to make preparations. You should come to my chamber later with your supplies and we can sort out what to bring with us."

The request was professional, but the idea of seeing Ren's room was strangely personal much like being permitted to see him without the mask. He nodded curtly, hoping that Ren did not sense his feelings.

"Meet me at 20;00 hours, then." he slipped the helmet over his head. "Until tonight then, General." the voice modulator in his helmet deepening the last few words. The two parted ways outside the chamber.

After performing a few routine inspections, filling out a sizeable amount of paperwork, and returning to his chamber to pack and have dinner, Hux made his way to Ren's rooms. They were not far from his own, as they were both high ranking and so were housed in the same corridor. 

Hux did not have to comm Ren. The door slid open automatically as though Ren knew he was there. Hux didn't know a kriffing thing about the force, but apparently it could be used to "sense" things like that. He had gotten used to feeling like he was being watched at all times from being around Snoke constantly. He hadn't gotten used to Ren's use of the force yet.

He found Ren in the dark with his legs crossed. There was a strange smell in the air, it was organic and earthy, like nothing else on the Finalizer. It was too dark to seem much of anything, but there was a faint glow in the corner of the room like dying embers.

"Lights, 40 percent," Hux half whispered, not quite sure what he was interrupting. The room's AI obeyed and he was able to see Ren meditating on a mat in a sleeveless black shirt and loose pants. He had never noticed Ren's arms before…

"General Hux." murmured Ren as though awaking from gentle slumber. "I didn't realize the time." 

"If you need me to leave, I'm sure I packed just fine on my own-"

Ren's eyes blinked open. "No. No, I'm fine let's do this."

He stood and walked over to sit on his bed. Hux hadn't noticed the bed before. Ren's legs were crossed the way they had been on the floor only looser. Why did this feel so intimate?

"Let's see what you've got."

The two went through the backpack Hux had brought with him, packed earlier in the day. Ren commended his choice to bring the Order issued hiking boots rather than the standard uniform pair, told him to leave the great coat and hat behind as there would be little need for either decorum or warm clothing during their stay, and then proceeded to dictate what he was lacking.

"You are definitely going to need sunscreen. Have you ever been on planet before? With your snow white skin? You'd be fried within the hour. Do you really need all this clothing? I understand it's the uniform, but no one is going to give you a uniform citation down there. It'll be colder at night but our sleeping bags will prevent that from being an issue and the climate is generally rather warm."

Hux was a bit bored at this point. It had been at least an hour of constant discussion of weather and activity, terrain and sun cycles. Ren had moved over on the bed to allow Hux to sit beside him. He appeared far more relaxed than Hux felt, leaning casually against his bed pillows while he gave his incessant input. "How do you know so much about where we're headed?"

Ren looked up. This was the first time either of them had attempted actual conversation this evening. "Well, I trained there, for a time." He said haltingly, as though not sure how much to say. "In my first years as an apprentice, I spent most of my time there when I wasn't sent on missions here and there."

"So it was home for a while?"

"That sounds a bit sentimental coming from you." One his eyebrows was lightly quirked. "No. Not really. It was… I don't know. It was a bit like school, but it was also like camping. Tomorrow we'll make our way towards the cave system where Snoke lives. I was never permitted to stay with him so I had to survive on my own."

Hux was surprised. He had absolutely no idea what went into the training of a Sith Lord, but this was not what he had expected. "Out in the wild? There was nothing? No buildings, no food, just you?"

"Yes. It was difficult, but I'm stronger for it." He hardened with these last words.

"It sounds like abandonment."

"Snoke was not the one who abandoned me." Ren moved backward on the bed. The move seemed defensive and surprisingly human.

"Fine. I shouldn't have asked."

There was a moment of silence between them. Hux was about to ask if he should leave.  
"What do you think of the force, General?" Hux wasn't sure he was thrown more by the question or the Ren's reference to him as General.

"I've seen some of what you can do. I know that somehow you're always able to read everyone's minds-"

"Not everyone's." interrupted Ren.

"What?"

"There are people who possess strong enough minds or enough desire to not have their thoughts known who can shield themselves from even me."

Hux pretended to be shocked. "Even you? They must be powerful indeed to evade the great Kylo Ren." he laughed.

"Say my name again."

"What?"

"You never call me Kylo Ren. The way you say my name, it's different. Always Ren as though it doesn't mean the same thing." He was so earnest in his request.

"Kylo Ren." Hux repeated. "I don't say your name any differently than anyone else."

"Maybe it's the absence of fear or reverence in your tone. Why don't you fear me, General?"

It was Hux's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to? You don't scare me, Ren. I'm not intimidated by the black specter who stalks the halls of the Finalizer."

"Braver men than you have been scared of me. They tend to believe they have good reason." His chin was raised with no small amount of pride. _Jedi Killer._

"I never pretended to be brave. I just refuse to let you undermine my authority."

"When have I ever been a threat to your authority?" he said lightly. Hux looked to see if he was joking.

"Are you kidding me? How about all the times I've had to send soldiers to be psych-evaluated after they've been force-choked? Or all those times you openly question direct orders? or go off on your own? or those broken consoles the other day-"

"Enough." Hux hadn't noticed how loud his voice had gotten. He was nearly shouting. There was so much anger inside of him. Why had he never noticed how angry he was? He'd ignored it for so long and suddenly it was there. 

Ren's eyes were wide, not in fear, not in anger, just alert for the first time that evening.

"I'm sorry." Hux muttered.

Ren cocked his head slightly. "Did you just apologize to me, General?"

Hux, who was now more than a little flustered, felt his ears go red. 

"Clearly you didn't mean to. It's fine. You know, you could probably benefit from meditation like I was doing earlier."

"I'm not really the type."

"You don't have to become one with the force in order to meditate. Just- just try it."

The General's face was skeptical. "Now?"

"Yes now."

The two of them sat there for a moment.

"Are you going to sit there and watch me try to meditate? Because I can assure you that isn't going to work."

"Fine, fine." Ren looked around. "I'll close my eyes." 

He gathered the blanket on the bed around himself and laid down beneath the sheets. "Goodnight, General."

Hux was a bit startled. "You think I'm going to meditate right here?"

Ren's eyes were closed. "You can do whatever you want, it was just a suggestion for your mental wellbeing."

"What makes you think there is my being is anything other than well?"

This caused Ren to open his eyes. "You are so angry, Hux. You have so much rage, so many demons pent up inside of you. The dark side is fueled by fear, hatred, and anger, and controlling those emotions." Hux locked eyes with Ren. "Don't let those feelings make you feel like you're not in control of yourself."

"Lights, zero percent. Set alarm for 07;00 hours."

"Good night, sir." The lights in the room dimmed to total darkness.

Hux felt totally alone. The darkness robbed him of all ability to see. He wasn't sure he'd be able to find the door if he wanted to. "Lights 10 percent." he whispered. 

Nothing happened. He could almost hear Ren saying _I don't think so._

It wasn't that he was trapped, he decided. He was choosing to meditate. 

It didn't come easily to him. Though one of his senses was utterly useless, his mind was full of activity. The more he tried to clear his mind, the more thoughts that came. It was frustrating. Who did Ren think he was to order him around-

Slowly, a sense of stillness, of peace, of order came over him. A coolness filtered into his thoughts, easing the temper that was starting to heat up. His mind was complete darkness. It enveloped him, soothed him, it said _I am with you,_ and Hux was finally calm.

It was impossible to tell when Hux fell asleep that night, but he knew that he had when he woke up beside Kylo Ren. The room's lights were slowly turning themselves on, in simulation of morning light and Hux could see the outline of the man and feel the warmth of his body beside him. This was bad. He couldn't say precisely why it was bad, in the moment, only that Kylo Ren's bed was not a place General Hux should be.

These thoughts caused Ren to stir. "Good morning, General." His complete relaxation set Hux on edge.

Hux was out the door instantly. 

There weren't many people in the corridor. Only officers had rooms in this part of the ship. Hux just needed to get to his room, where he would wait until he received a comm that they were in orbit around the planet-

"Good morning, General."

Hux knew that vocoder anywhere. He didn't need to turn around.

"Nice hair." Hux continued to his door without acknowledging the speaker.

The hateful doors refused to open at his touch and he was forced to use his entry code on the keypad. At last they opened.

"Good morning to you too, Phasma."

He wondered if she was snickering behind him as the door slid shut once more.

He hated Ren, he hated Phasma, and he hated the pink tinge heating the tips of his ears and the pale skin of his face. A quick glance in the mirror showed disheveled hair and a slightly rumpled appearance to his clothes. He thought about the quick mental calculations Phasma must have made when she saw him.

Never mind that now. 

He straightened out his attire and reclined on his own bed to wait for the commlink. With eyes closed, he tried to remember his attempt at meditation last night. That feeling had been otherworldly amazing. He tried to relive it by recalling what it had been like, but every time he seemed to get close, it would slip farther away.

"General, we are in orbit of the planet. The shuttle is ready for atmosphere entry."

"I'm on my way."

Hux stopped on his way to get a glimpse of his destination out of a viewport. The planet was greener than he'd expected. The hidden brother of Korriban was small but dotted with small forests, rivers of lava and what appeared to be water, and large expanses of dark rock making up most of its surface. 

After seeing the nightmare that was the Sith home world, this almost looked like a vacation. He wasn't anxious to be proven wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far! Next chapter should have a lot more forward momentum, but I wanted to spend some time with these two first. Hope you enjoyed, see you Sunday.


	5. Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet! Enjoy!

Kylo wondered if he should feel better than he did. He was going back to a place he had called home for over ten years. The closest thing he had to a home.

That wasn’t all Serantia was to him, though. It was not Korriban, but it may as well have been hell. He had been trained there since he abandoned the Jedi. As a teenager when he'd been alone and scared.

He could tell himself now that everything had been real. He’d been right all along, but he remembered the nights he’d spent with eyes wide open, thinking he was going mad for seeing things that weren’t there, that couldn’t be there. The planet had a way of getting into your head. The force was so concentrated in this system, on Serantia and Korriban. It made him see things, have force visions so real that they could be mistaken for reality if one only wanted them to be true badly enough.

He had been so alone then, as Supreme Leader Snoke had intended. Ben Solo had been alone so often. In the traditions of the light side, training in the force begins when the student is young, eager to be molded. The dark side requires age and enough power and wisdom to know what you want from your own destiny.

There was never a point in Ben Solo's life when there weren't people around. The constant mental cacophony nearly drove him to fits of frustration, until his mother helped him block out the noise. It was one of the few times Leia had talked to him about the force. He could sense that it was as strong in her just as it was in Luke, but she never discussed it with him. She had never tried to listen when Ben had felt like no one understood. Kylo Ren knew now that Leia Organa was afraid of the power she possessed and was too weak to control it.

He had never been truly alone on Serentia, either. There were others who inhabited Serantia, who lurked in the forests and caves, but Ben Solo had grown and died there, under the light of a cursed sun.

Kylo had boarded the transport in full regalia; cloak, mask, skirt panels, hood, and cowl all in place. When the entrance ramp slammed into place, it all came off. He tried to ignore the relief he felt, as though he could breathe again. Hux was on his way, but he savored the few moments of quiet inside the transport.

He thought about making a spectacle perhaps by choking someone before he left, something to salvage his reputation, but the anger was just not in it.

The last few days were hazy in his mind. He could remember everything, and remember making decisions, but now they seemed blurred as though he had been going through the motions and not truly living. That wasn't true though, was it? He'd done things he never would have considered before the battle. He'd been acting purely on impulse, his own instincts not the ones he'd been trained to have, for the first time in years. Since his injuries he'd tried to return things to normal, but what was normal? Had there ever been a normal? Was there a normal he really wanted to return to?

The gangway lowered below with a metallic thud. Hux had arrived. A quick glance at his travel-mate told him that General Hux was back in action. His stern demeanor, set jaw, and glare that had obliterated Hosnian Prime were firmly in place. There was one thing that hadn't changed. Hux was back to hating the sight of him.

The General fixed Ren with a particularly nasty and impassive stare and told him to move.

"I will be flying is down to the planet's surface. Remove yourself from the pilot's seat."

It was a direct order, and though Ren was not usually so quick to supply ready obedience to the General when he was like this, he seated himself elsewhere. He sensed Hux was relieved at not having to argue with him over something so childish as the pilot controls, but also felt a silent snigger from a stormtrooper below guarding the gangway. _The monster is back on his leash._

The platform flew upwards, flipping the trooper end over end and nearly getting himself crushed between it and the ship. It slammed against the hull of the ship with a hollow crash and the world was silent once more.

Hux's head snapped to look at him, only there was no accusation to be found in his eyes, only deep withering distain. 

"Shall we get on with this then?"

Kylo remained expressionless, as usual when the apparatus of his mask covered his face. "You're the one who wanted to be pilot." He deadpanned. 

Hux was attempting to suppress a deep sigh.

The engines fired beneath them. Hux pressed buttons, checked data panels, and pulled levers with the grace of someone who had done so many times before. It was unexpected to see him doing something so manual, something that should have been menial and beneath him. It was like a performance done with love. Why is he staring at me?

Shit! How long had they sat there in silence? A crack had appeared in the General's facade as he was now feeling self conscious and rather alarmed that Ren had been gazing at him with such interest.

"Who taught you how to fly?" he asked suddenly, not sure how to diffuse the awkwardness that threatened to loom over the entire venture.

Hux seemed surprised. Why was he always surprised when Ren spoke to him? "I taught myself."

"Oh." He couldn't think of anything to say. Why had he started the conversation?

Hux appeared just as confused and mildly alarmed. "Neither of my parents had been keen fliers, my mother rarely left home, and the Academy was meant for training young officers not pilots. I taught myself before I left home, after toying about with an old speeder."

The silence loomed once more. "Have you ever flown?" Hux asked, and it was Ren's turn to be surprised by the casual, friendly nature of their conversation.

"I have, I'm not all that fond of it." His father had enjoyed flying, as had Luke. That had always been more than enough reason to spend as little time as possible behind the controls of a ship.

They stopped talking when the ship began descent into the planet's atmosphere. The ship began to heat up and the glare shields darkened the view ports. Atmospheric entry had the ability to blind. Hux concentrated at the controls.

When the shields lifted, they were treated to their first glimpse of Serentia. Nitrogen in the atmosphere created a sea of blue in front of them and below them were forests giving way to deserts sparkling with the light of a few tiny lakes. The dark rock he had seen the night before had actually been dark blue deserts which swept over parts of the planet. He had underestimated the size of these forests, they covered most of the planet's surface, an amorphous carpet that made way for deserts, rivers, and lakes but always with an edge of dark green trees.

The descent would take a half hour, in order to maintain the safety of the two passengers and the structural integrity of the ship. Hux let the ship's AI control the descent as he looked out at the planet that would be his home for the foreseeable future.

At about 700 feet above the surface, Kylo joined him at a rear view port. Hux tensed at his presence, but said nothing. Below, they could see a faint trail of smoke rising above a tight cluster of trees.

"Are there people on the planet? I didn't know."

"They aren't humanoid, and speak no known language. They have feline features, but are bipedal and rather tribal in nature. They'll leave us alone if we do the same."

Hux looked unsure. "What kind of experience do you have with this place?"

"I lived here on and off for close to five years as a teenager." he admitted. It felt like an admission, a secret somehow.

"Before you became a Knight of Ren?"

"Yes."

The ship landed and despite the overbearing anxiety and fear, he was relieved to be back on familiar ground at last. The pair squinted in the light of the blood red sun. Everything seemed too bright here, like everything was not just reflecting the sun's rays, but emitting its own energy too. 

Hux had put the ship down on the outskirts of a forest giving way to a glinting  
blue sand desert.

There was a sense of relief that passed between them. Both silently grateful that they didn’t have to pretend anymore. Life on the Finalizer in the last few days had felt like playing a role that they forgotten the lines for.

Once outside, Kylo breathed the fresh air deeply. He always felt better on planet than off, the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet much preferred to metal hull of a space cruiser. He looked to Hux, who was not enjoying himself nearly as much. The general had a look of deep displeasure as he shaded his eyes with one hand and sneered at the landscape around him. Kylo got the feeling that the General was never well-disposed to like anything in front of others, perhaps for fear of it somehow being taken away.

Kylo went inside to grab the two backpacks of supplies they had brought and returned to find Hux in the same spot, now glancing suspiciously at a spiny desert cactus.

"This whole planet is a death trap."

"You haven't seen the whole planet."

Hux turned to look at him. "It's not off to a great start as first impressions go."

They began to walk into the forest, leaving the safety of the ship behind them. The air was much cooler under the branches of the trees. They seemed to grow together, vines wrapping around one tree, reaching over and coiling around the next. As they wandered farther in, it created a carpet-like roof only a few feet over their heads, very dark in some spots where the vines tangled and fused together.

Kylo led the way through the dense forest. He knew where he was going despite the ever evolving nature of the planets fast growing forests and windswept deserts. The pull of Snoke's force energy was also helpful.

He had expected Hux to fall behind quickly, both because he didn't seem physically capable of it and because he generally seemed the type to complain about whatever displeased him. To his surprise though, the General kept up with him, glued to his side over roots and rocks.

Despite the shade, Kylo could feel sweat coating his brow. He called a stop to strip a few layers of clothing. He removed his black cape which was soaked in sweat and had been more than a little impractical, and peeled off the long sleeved black shirt beneath. He was left in only a black cut off shirt. Hux did the same, but also removed his neatly ironed and starched Order-issued black pants in favor of tight fitting spandex shorts that Kylo pretended not to notice or question.

Sunlight still trickled down to the forest floor between the leaves of the trees, but it was lighter and had taken on a rosier hue. The sun was setting, the light of Horuset competing with the rotation of the planet and the glow of the planet's three moons.

"How long will it take to reach Snoke?' asked Hux, as he took the opportunity to take a swig of water.

"At least another day's hike. By tomorrow night we'll likely make it to this river and camp there before reaching the caves on the following morning." 

Hux processed the information. "How long are the days here? When we got here it was definitely morning, it feels like we've only been here a few hours and yet the sun is definitely setting…"  


Ren was pulling his hair back out of his face. "The planet's moons give the planet an irregular rotation. During certain most of the year, the nights are much longer than the days."

"But, we'll still wait until sunrise to begin again?"

Ren resisted a shiver at the thought. "No. There is no sense in continuing on before dawn."

There was a strange look on Hux's face, as though he found the response odd but he said nothing. He looked to the pack he had tossed to the ground and gave it a small kick. 

"Looks like we'd better set up camp." They moved towards a small clearing up ahead and dropped everything once more.

Kylo took the lead, as he was fairly certain Hux had no idea what he was doing. The General tried to be of use, but after they both grabbed the same tool a few times or Hux found himself precisely where Ren needed to get to next and the both hit their heads together, Hux decided he was meant to be in a leadership position. Ren could put together the tent.

They had brought only one tent. If things went according to plan, after tomorrow night Ren would remain in the caves to finish his training and Hux would set up camp outside. The prospect was not something Hux was looking forward to in the least.

The light was waning faster now. Hux found some way to be useful and dug an auto-light fire out of his pack. A quick orange fire sprang to life between them, sparks floating up into the deep red night sky. 

Dinner consisted of a few standard nutrition portions for First Order members away from base. All that was required was a few ounces of water, and almost instantly a flavorless meal for two was lukewarm and ready to digest.

After a few hours of walking in the heat, both men were hungry and ate regardless of the quality of meal. There was an almost companionable silence between them. Orange sparks from the fire popped and floated into the air. 

"How long do we have until sunrise?" asked Hux.

"It's about 9 hours from now. We should get some rest." 

Hux absently bit his lip. Was he afraid? Kylo took a moment to ponder that. The general had likely never been out in nature like this. When would he have had time to? He thought of the General's actions throughout the trip so far, he'd been particularly prickly and disagreeable.

"Fine." 

They slipped into the tent, barely made for two and each moved as far as possible from the other. It was completely dark now. Their eyes were adjusting to seeing faint shapes in the dark. The moons created a darkness a person could navigate by, with streams of white light glancing off of trees. The tent provided a roof over their heads and covering from the ground. They wrapped themselves in their cold weather garments and sleeping bags, for as the sun fell from the horizon, the temperature plummeted.

For the first time in a while, Hux felt a certain amount of freedom. There wasn't anything he had to do; no Very Important Meetings to attend, no one to dictate to, no real objectives to accomplish. The only thing he had to was get some sleep before morning. Perhaps that was why he was wholly unable to do so.

Ren had seemed to fall asleep instantly with barely a word to Hux, but the closer Hux seemed to get to real sleep the louder his thoughts seemed to be. His thoughts seemed free for the first time in years. They didn't have to conform to anything out here and he realized he was extremely resentful of his current predicament and the person lying next to him. As he closed his eyes, he felt that anger transition to fear. How long was he going to be stuck out here? Was this punishment for his failure? Did Snoke plan for him to die out here?

Eventually his thoughts turned to Starkiller. He was _Starkiller._ On this planet, he felt his mind wander to this subject more than ever. The destruction of the Hosnian system had given him no grief when he was aboard the Finalizer. He'd been proud. The success of the instrument he had devoted his life to perfecting had been a success, a huge step in proving the power and might of the First Order and the ultimate inferiority of the New Republic.

He'd been so proud.

If only he could get them to stop screaming.

There was something about the planet, as had happened nowhere else, that was keeping him awake at night. It was as though he could hear them. The billions of people he had murdered with his weapon and a few words. He felt like he was the one being torn apart, vaporized with a word. It was as though the forest was in agony and hated him for being there. There was no way for him to sleep, and there was no way for him to stay under this canopy of leaves that now felt so oppressive.

Ren didn't feel him leave the tent. He strode out into the cool night air with his heavy greatcoat draped around his shoulders. It was the one piece of his regular uniform he had stowed in is pack without approval from Ren.

Their bags were tossed aside just outside the tent, near the ashy, cold remains of their fire. He rummaged about in his own, searching for something he knew was buried in their somewhere. They had been left there from the last time he had been off planet three years ago, before he had been assigned to the Finalizer. His hand settled on a packet of paper.

He didn't have a lighter. The cigarettes wouldn't be of much use without one. He selected one anyway and stowed the rest in his coat pocket. 

The voices in his head weren't silenced by the presence of an old comfort. He looked out into the forest and started walking. He made his way over the roots and kicked at small rocks. He was going nowhere fast, a part of him afraid to go too far on his own. He twirled the cigarette between his fingers. Stopping beside a tree, he placed it between his lips and tried to inhale it without the smoke. He caught only a small scent of menthol and closed his eyes.

He exhaled to the sky and thought about giving up. It was unsettling to be so alone on this planet. Had ever really been alone?

Out in the forest his eyes picked up a glowing light. Perhaps he wasn't so alone?

As he moved towards it he saw that it was definitely a figure. His breath caught in his throat and he realized he was afraid. Had he always been so scared?

He felt no shame in hiding behind a tree. Caution was an instinct.

The figure was a woman dressed in gold, radiating light. Her green hued hair and flowing gown undulated with a breeze Hux couldn't feel. She was like a ghost, transparent and lifeless. She emanated an aura that did not brighten anything around her. 

Hux wondered if he had truly gone mad. Ren had told him that there were no humanoid life forms on the planet besides themselves and yet this was very clearly a person.

He felt something on his shoulder and spun around. It was Ren. Why hadn't he heard him coming? Hux had certainly made enough noise trekking through the woods.

"What are you doing? Do you want to kill yourself?" yelled Ren. He looked slightly bleary and irritated.

"Excuse me?" 

"I told you that it was too dangerous to continue on at night and you didn't assume I had a good reason? I thought you were intelligent."

"I am perfectly capable of standing outside by myself. I don't need your protection."

"Oh, really?" Ren was perfectly awake now. "How did you get so far from camp? We are nearly a half hour from camp here."

Hux was certain it hadn't taken that long to get here. He had just gone for a stroll because he couldn't sleep, why was Ren so upset. What he did was of no-

"You're about to say that what you do is of no consequence to me, and I profoundly disagree. I'm not allowed to let you die. You need to trust me."

"This isn't about you." Hux felt slightly breathless from having his mind read so clearly.

"Why can't you sleep?" He knew just what to say. Why did he always know exactly what was wrong?

Hux felt tears coming to his eyes and consciously kept them back. "How can you?" he sounded so tired. "Why can I hear them, Ren?" he swallowed. "I know it's them these voices in my head. They've been there since we entered this infernal forest. I can't stop thinking about the Hosnian system. What is wrong with me?"

He felt the tree at his back and slowly let himself fall against it, until he was on the ground. His head pressed against his hands.

Kylo sat beside him. He was so close. If Hux looked passed his own fingers he would be able to see every freckle on Ren's face, and the small and raw pink scar that would forever grace the man's features. 

The gesture was undoubtedly uncharacteristic, but it made Hux almost expect Ren to start comforting him. He didn't, thankfully. Hux didn’t know what he would have done if he had.

Instead he said, "Do you remember meditating last night?"

Hux wiped a loathsome tear that had escaped custody from his face. "Don't be an idiot. Of course I do, it was only last night."

Ren spoke calmly. "Do you remember what that felt like? I know you got there eventually. What did meditation feel like?"

Hux didn't answer. Every time he had tried to think about it, he hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact feeling of quiet peace. Ren nodded as though, that was a perfect answer.

"Why don't you try again?"

"I can't." he said, starting to get frustrated again.

"Stop. Breathe." He issued commands as though he were typing them into a computer, trying to get it to reboot.

Hux glared at Ren as though he were about to hit him. He contemplated it for a moment, but the voices in his head increased their chorus and he closed his eyes. 

Almost instantly, it was back. That feeling he had been unable to replicate. It drove the voices from his mind. It was quiet again. The jagged edges in his mind were softened by this gray peace.

He felt himself falling asleep this time, his consciousness slipping into this cold serenity. There was a small voice before he let himself go. _I hear them too._  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kylo had fallen asleep next to Hux , against that tree. It was hardly comfortable, but he felt like he was supposed to be there. He could have let Hux suffer on his own. Maybe that's what the General would have done had their roles been reversed? He didn't really know. 

He had done this for before. The individual circumstances were hazy at this point, younglings missing their parents, wishing they were home, waking up with nightmares. He had hated the Jedi Academy and most of the other students had hated (or disliked, because the Jedi don't hate) him. He found himself with the curious ability to ease them to sleep.

There had been times in his life when he wished he could do the same to himself. Hux had sensed it, or perhaps he had simply been aware of the horrid legends surrounding his terrible deeds. _Jedikiller._

Meditation had helped.

When he woke in the morning, he found that they were lying on the ground, their bodies wrapped around the other's. Hux was almost awake, but he was absently stroking the bare skin along Kylo's neck. Kylo was fairly certain he was not aware in the slightest of what he was doing.

"Good morning, General." he murmured, unable to get up without moving Hux. 

The General's eyes opened slowly on Ren's face. Was that a smile? Those green eyes moved to the hand resting on Ren's chest, thumb grazing the force user's collar bone. He sat up with a start.

"G-good morning." he said turning red, noticing how close Ren's hand had been to the seat of his pants.

"Where are we?" he asked, blindly.

"In the galaxy? Because that could take a while-"

"Where's our stuff?"

"About a half hour back that way." Hux appeared very confused. "Let's go get breakfast, General."

They made good time to the river, and made it before the sun went down once more. The atmosphere between them seemed lighter than it had before. It was awkward to be sure. Neither man knew what to say to the other beyond mindless conversation.

Kylo learned he liked it when Hux smiled. There was a certain wonder on his face that was far kinder than the disdain that generally graced its features. The general had insisted they stop and clean themselves a bit in the river. Actually, Kylo had pushed him in and instead of shouting and throwing a fit, the red head had laughed. 

He didn't like Serentia any better than he had in his early years as Snoke's apprentice. It had a way of making him feel alone. Like Hux, it had a way of making him remember every life he'd left in his wake, every life he'd destroyed.

He found himself thinking of his father. He didn't want to. He tried not to imagine his father's body falling as Hux had fallen into the river. Perhaps had caught the look of horror on Kylo's face when he emerged, maybe thinking that it had been concern that he had gotten hurt. He kept his lightsaber tucked in his pack, not wanting to look at it.

They would reach Snoke tomorrow. He would complete his training in the next few days and then… he wasn't sure exactly. Conquering the galaxy was a nice idea, but it was hard to imagine a way to go forward from there. 

They set up camp along the river. Hux would stay there while Kylo trained. In every one of Hux's smiles, Kylo wondered if there was fear hidden behind each easy one. He never could have imagined the General could smile or that they came readily once he let his guard down, or that he would like it so much when he did.

He tried to meditate even as he was hiking. He tried to get a glimpse of what his future might hold. It should have been easy, especially with the concentration of force on this planet and the fluid, mystical nature of this particular river. He couldn't seem to access that area of the force. He couldn't take himself out of this moment, here and now.

Maybe that should have worried him. Why couldn't he connect with the force? Was something wrong with him? Maybe he should have asked himself these questions, but he didn't. He spent the whole day with the General and lay down close to him at night. There wasn't anything wrong with this present that he had, so why worry about what the future might bring?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading as always! I want to thank everyone for their kudos and to the people who have commented so far. Writers put out their work because they want someone to read it and I assure you I smile and jump up from my seat every time I get an email notification telling me someone has commented or left kudos (even in public). Thank you so much for sticking with me! Until next week... ;)


	6. Meeting the Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Getting up to the more pivotal plot points in the story, so I want to take the time to get it right. This ends up being a bit shorter than the last few chapters, but I hope it's worth the wait.

It wasn't that Hux suddenly found himself to be an outdoorsman, enjoying all the wonders this world had to offer him. Quite the opposite actually. He often found himself repulsed by the variety of flora and fauna found on Serentia. The insects seemed far more fond of him than Ren and the hours of hiking were far more vigorous than he had anticipated. Part of him could not wait to get back to the cold, bug-less, tree-less Finalizer and his firm Order-issued bed.

The other part of himself, a part he would be ashamed of if he had some substantial remnant of his regular regulated Order life left, wanted to stay. There were points when, granted, it was a very small part, but there was something about being here that was hard to hate.

He found that Ren had the ability to make him smile. The tone he had always taken for coldness or superiority was often the tone of a surprising dry wit. They spoke as they walked through the woods. Hux would complain and after a while Ren seemed to realize that despite Hux's complaints, he was willing and able to keep pace with him the whole way.

The heat under the trees (endless, endless trees) was stifling and both men were soon dripping with sweat. The river Ren was leading them to was only a few hours from where they had camped the night before. It was immensely heartening to see those trees give way to more spaces of sunlight. Hux felt he was able to breathe properly again.

Kylo hadn't expected Hux to be quite so fit. They reached the river and the waterfall marking a significant bank in its shape an hour or so before he had expected, with light still left in the sky. They set up camp for the night, well, Kylo did anyway. Hux had learned his lesson from the night before.

Hux had gone to walk along the river bed, all large, black rocks, green plants, and fine blue sand. He stepped carefully from one rock to another and eventually found himself in the middle of the river. He was perhaps a little too confident in his abilities and a little distracted by Ren emerging from the campsite to find Hux at the river. Jumping a larger gap than between the other boulders so far, he judged the distance manageable and leaped with confidence, only to feel his feet slip ever so slightly. He watched his feet fall past the rock and plunged feet-first into the slow moving water below.

He emerged freezing, shocked, and a little embarrassed, but not once he saw the wide eyes and gaping expression on Ren's face. The man seemed terrified and concerned, having no context for why his traveling companion was now soaking wet or how he had found himself in the middle of the river. Hux had no control over his own laughter.

"Did you push me?" he asked, with a surprising lack of anger in the tone of his voice.

"The force works in mysterious ways." said Ren slowly and sagely.  


"You asshole!" yelled Hux, a laugh escaping his attempt at outrage.

Drenched and dripping, he got himself out of the water and went to his bag to find something to dry himself with. Ren handed him his black knit cowl and he dried his face with it. The fabric was odd, but it did its job adequately. He couldn't place precisely what it smelled like, but he couldn't help but find himself liking it, whatever that scent was.

Hux attempted to dry his hair without messing it up too terribly, and failing in the process.

"I thought I could do with a bath."

The Ren who had stepped off of the transport and who had helped him sleep last night was a completely new person to Hux. He was someone Hux found himself liking, despite the daily headaches he caused when they were aboard the Finalizer. The Kylo Ren who smashed control panels and choked helpless crew members had made no appearance. It wasn't that Ren was relaxed or peaceful in this place though. He could tell Ren was tense. It was likely something to do with the mission in front of him, so Hux kept only a small eye on him, lest his fabled temper rear its ugly head.

He found himself watching the force user throughout the day and in the various commonplace activities that camping involved. Aboard the Finalizer, he knew of no one besides Ashteh, the medical technician, who had seen the face of Lord Ren, at least not for an extended period of time. He was young, with a boyish face and ears he was definitely not fond of. He had these moles that dotted his face and a nose that he was only just beginning to grow into. It didn't look like it had been too long since this man had been a gangly, awkward youth. It should have been unsettling, knowing that the legendary _Jedikiller_ was a man with such a human face.

Instead of being unsettling, he found himself staring at it because it was its own kind of beautiful.

The night crept upon them quickly. Hux took off his light shirt and placed it near the fire. The air was cool against his bare skin but it would be colder later with a damp shirt. He he drink his greatcoat across his shoulders for warmth. The official uniform seemed so out of place in this setting.

All in all, their mission was going off without a hitch. Hux could imagine far worse ways to spend a day.

Their dinner tonight was not as quiet as the one the night before.

"Alright, but doesn't it get hot with all of that beneath the helmet?" Hux said, as they sat close to the orange glow of a autolight fire.

Ren tucked a black wave of hair behind his ear. "It's not terrible."

"But wouldn't it be more comfortable to cut it short?"

"I like it this way." Hux did not reply that he liked the way it looked too, but Ren smiled anyway.

He didn't ask about why Ren wore the mask. It was protection, or something to hide himself behind, or a Darth Vader kink. Hux knew enough about hiding his emotions behind a front.

Ren's eyes reflected the fire. They were dark brown and deep like reflecting pools able to swallow him whole.

"We'll reach the Supreme Leader tomorrow. Do you know anything about what is about to happen?"

Ren shook his head. "Snoke hasn't given me the details of my training. I have nearly completed it, though. It's likely a final test of some sort to prove my loyalty to the dark side."

"You haven't proven yourself evil enough?"

"Perhaps the Force still doubts me."

"I harbor no such doubts. Do you think I'll have figured out how to get myself killed out here before you return?" Hux wasn't allowed to go into the secret force training cave

Ren smirked. "Not to doubt your capabilities, but no, I shouldn't be too long. Perhaps a week?"

"A lot could happen in a week, even if the days are shorter here." They sat in the quiet of the evening for a moment.

"And afterwards, we go back to conquering the Galaxy." said Ren.

"And doing whatever Snoke says." murmured Hux.

They both stared off, away from each other. The fire crackled between them.

"You should get some rest." Hux said at last.

Ren consented and eventually they found themselves on opposite sides of the tent. Sounds from the river trickled into the tent, soothing rather than disruptive. Neither of them was as far away from the other as they had been last night.

Hux couldn't seem to sleep. It wasn't the voices, those had silenced themselves since last night and leaving the depths of the forest. He wasn't sure, but he felt as though Ren had had something to do with their sudden quietude. No, he felt like he needed to do something, needed to say something to Ren before he left for who knows how long.

"Ren," He didn't know how to finish the sentence he had started. "Why do you wear that mask?" He stared at the dark ceiling of their tent.

He thought for a moment that Ren hadn't heard him. "I think you know the answer already." He paused as though that was all he was going to say on the topic.

"When you walk into a room people look at you. It gives you power over every one of them. The officers see your face and they see someone who has devoted himself to the First Order, who has never wavered in his loyalty, and who has put their beliefs before his own time and time again. You are unquestionable. My armor does what my face cannot. I cannot hide the truth of my face."

Hux rolled over to look at that face only to find it looking at him with eyes half closed.

"Everyone knows my name. Not Kylo Ren, the other one. The one they have all pretended to forget. They know my life story and so do you. When I wear that costume I am transformed. No one would believe that the boy I was to be dead if they saw him walking about the Finalizer."

There was silence once more.

He wasn't sure if this was what he had wanted to say to Ren. "I don't see him when I look at you. Granted, I had limited access to trashy New Republic holonet channels while I was at the Academy, but the boy you were is long gone."

After a moment, "Thank you? I suppose. I don't feel like I've changed perhaps, and therefore I haven't."

"There are few in the galaxy that would say that Ben Solo was capable of the things you've done." Kylo prided himself on not flinching at the sound of that name. Maybe it was easier when Hux said it.  


"No. He couldn't." There was something Hux couldn't place in the sound of Ren's voice. He felt inexplicably better, though he could not say why.

"Goodnight, Ren."

"Goodnight."

In the morning, Kylo found himself reluctant to leave. The sun was just beginning to brighten the sky with a lighter hues, when his eyes opened and he felt his arms wrapped around General Hux. More specifically, he had one hand in the General's fine feathery hair and one leg draped across him. He dared not move, or else wake the other man up, but was soon relieved of the challenge when Hux's eyes opened to meet his.

"Good morning, General."

He appeared less tired this morning, and less angry than all mornings that came before this one. He looked a bit confused.

"That'll be the last time I hear that in a few days, I'll be glad of that." He sat up and arched his spine, catlike.

"I'll forgive you for crawling all over me, since I placed you in a far less comfortable position the night before."

Kylo said nothing and began to dress himself. He wore black robes made in the ancient style of force users. There was anxiety written across his face, but he knew there was little he could do to school that into submission. He could sense that Hux was feeling a sort of pity for him, and tossed that information aside.

He thought of taking some of his supplies with him, but knew that he would have no need of most of the things once inside the caves, even things that seemed basic to survival. 

His lightsaber glinted in the rising sun and he stooped to take it with him. _Leave it._

It was Snoke's voice. Kylo knew it well. It sat in the back of his mind like the shadow at the heels of his feet, always present. He questioned the order. The lightsaber is a part of him, he can't just leave it behind.

_It is not required for your training. You shall leave it behind,_ insisted Snoke, and Kylo swallowed his reluctance. He'd be back soon. Why would he need it?  


Why would Snoke ask him to leave it behind?

Hux eyed Ren from his seat by the cold ashes of last night's fire. He was feeling similar nerves about the change in their circumstances, but was more skilled in concealing his emotions.

He hated the thought of being left on an unfamiliar planet for days on end. Not only was it probably dangerous, but what was he supposed to do on his own? He had taken a holopad with him in his pack. He fished it out and turned it on, discovering that he had connection to the wireless First Order communications network. Resistance be damned, the First Order had excellent wifi connectivity.

Ren cleared his throat. He was wearing robes Hux had yet to see him in, and had that sheepish, slightly nervous look on his face. The sun was just starting to warm the earth around them.

"I'll be on my way."

Hux wasn't sure what to say. "May the Force be with you." It came out almost as a question.

Ren smirked. "And also with you, General."

He watched as Ren's back and the flowing black robes disappeared behind the waterfall closer to the opposite side of the river, fifty meters from their camp. Hux hadn't realized the mysterious cave of Snoke was so close to their camp. He wondered if that new information scared him at all, then decided it didn’t. 

He believed in the force, he believed that there were things that some people could do and perceive that the ordinary person could not. This did not scare him. He knew that the galaxy contained far more people who did not possess such abilities, and they were far greater in number and could be far more terrible. He lived with terrible people and he, himself, was a terrible person. Snoke was just another player in the game. It didn't matter that he had moved himself closer to checkmate.

When Ren was gone, he suddenly felt lost. What the hell was he doing out here? What was he supposed to do? 

He wandered around camp, feeling uncomfortable standing or sitting in one place for too long. It felt like there were eyes on him, as though there was someone looking over his shoulder, or lurking just out of sight. 

He found Ren's lightsaber and was surprised to see he had left it. He realized that Ren really hadn't taken anything with him into the cave. Hadn't he said he expected to be gone about a week? Snoke didn't seem the type to be a hospitable host. It would be a test of survival. Who would get themselves killed first: Hux through boredom and ignorance or Ren through stupidity and starvation?  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------  
Kylo remembered these caves. There was a time when he had clawed at their walls desperate for a way out. There was a time when he had been covered in blood (his own?) and had writhed for help inside their darkened halls.

He forced those memories away. He focused on the present, on placing each foot before the other, on making the right turns though he knew the way by heart.

The inhabitants of this planet knew to stay away from the caves. They had some belief that the caves were cursed by a malevolent spirit that took souls and came in the day to stalk the forest, but they didn't need much convincing to leave the caverns alone. Sometimes a stray member of the tribe would wander in and never come back out, either becoming lost or meeting a far worse end at the hands of the inhabitant of the cave, the Supreme Leader himself.

Supreme Leader Snoke had found Kylo as a boy. He had come to him in the dark, the quiet nights when Ben had tried to tell himself to stop crying or not to be afraid that his parents were mad or frightened by him. Jedi knights didn't cry, he told himself. Snoke had been the answer to the question he didn't know he asked. _Your emotions are not to be feared, Ben. You are stronger than you know. I can help you. You are not safe here. Your parents fear you. Luke fears you. I welcome you. These people will never understand just how powerful you are, not the way I do._

The caves smelled of damp earth and death, the kind of decomposing that gives way to new life. He tried not breathe in too deeply, its overpowering aroma. 

Snoke's chamber was the largest chamber in the cave system. It was dark, lit only by small holes in the cave ceiling, and torches on the walls. The Supreme Leader was seated on a throne. 

His eyes were closed in meditation. He appeared precisely as he had in his holographic form, though reduced in size. At full height, he only towered a foot over Kylo's head.

"Kylo Ren, at last. I trust your journey was uneventful."

He knelt before his master. "Everything as according to your will, master."

Yellow eyes opened wide upon the kneeling figure. Snoke rose from his throne and stood in front of Kylo Ren. 

"Excellent, let us begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)


	7. Into the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's updated! Sorry for the wait, I could give a bunch of excuses but you don't really want to read about how real life got too real or something. I think you'll see by the end of the chapter why I needed an extra week. So, without further ado, chapter 7!

The Finalizer had been left under the orders of Lieutenant Mitaka of the First Order. He treated this posting with the gravity it deserved, and was trying his best to emulate the example set by the esteemed General Hux.

He was failing miserably.

He supposed it would be much worse if either of the two men who were off ship on a mission were around to see the travesty of his leadership. At least Kylo Ren wasn’t around to muck up what little semblance of order he was able to maintain, and Hux wasn’t around to glare menacingly with each command he issued.

Still, it was hard to get much worse than this.

The cruiser’s hyperdrive was still in disrepair. An order had been sent by Supreme Leader Snoke (a comm that had caused him to wet his pants) that they should travel to the Western reaches of the Outer Rim for reasons he refused to explain, mostly because Mitaka was afraid to ask.  


The Supreme Leader had sent coordinates again. There was a known planet at the destination this time, thankfully, and they would be able to repair the ship once at that destination.

Aboard the Finalizer, most things were running smoothly. He ran the bridge during the A and C shifts, organized the morning meetings to the best of his ability, and retired to his quarters during D shift to panic over whether he had managed to screw everything up yet.

He had the hardest time with the stormtroopers. Those had been the pet project of General Hux and on the ship, they were under the command of Captain Phasma. He had no idea what kind of orders Hux had left with her, or what his usual maintenance of the division consisted of, but he was sure it was a little bit more than what he was doing now. Which was nothing.

She had come back from her brief stay in the infirmary with a vengeance. The stormtroopers stationed on the Finalizer were subjected to twelve hour training sessions and frequent sparring missions, some of them to the death or dismemberment of the participants. They made up the majority of the population of the ship, and therefore there was absolute chaos spilling into the corridors.

Mitaka felt the uncomfortable sweat marks under his arms and slammed the back of his head against the door of his chambers. He had just returned from his most recent shift on the bridge and had almost ran to get out of there.

It had been a little over three days. Just three days.

After the first day, he had tried to comm Hux. The General should have been able to receive his messages, but as of his hundredth check of the day, he had heard nothing from him.

There was a crash from the other side of the door and Mitaka’s head sank into his hands.

The idea that Hux might be in trouble or out of the range of First Order wireless commlink had not occurred to him. Hux was probably feeling vindictive towards him, had he done something wrong? Or worse, Hux might think he was capable of filling his shoes. What had given him that idea?

There were screams out in the hallway. What might have been a fire alarm was blaring in the room next door.

His holopad lit up with a ring and Mitaka felt like crying. The message that ran across the screen frightened the tears from his eyes.

BREACH IN SECTOR 7. INTRUDERS ON BOARD.

It was happening just outside his door.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------

Hux was so bored.

He had absolutely nothing with which to occupy himself. Upon realizing that Mitaka had sent him no less than 463 separate comms since he had left the ship, he messaged him back telling him to stop being a sniveling waste of space and to do his kriffing job. He was almost certain that things couldn't have gotten too out of hand since he had left. His job wasn't that hard.

Still, there was very little he could do about his lieutenant's panic attacks from here. Sometimes he looked at the sky to see if there was any sign that the mammoth Finalizer was orbiting their world. These were moments of weakness that were becoming more and more frequent. He wanted to leave so badly.

He lounged languidly on a sofa he had compiled of the few soft things they had brought: clothes, blankets, and the like. There was nothing quite like the feeling of being trapped on an entire planet, the way there can be so much space and yet feel like a prison cell. He was going to have to get used to it.

A rustle in the tree leaves forced his eyes open.

It was happening again. He had absolutely no idea what was causing it, but something was definitely stalking him from the depths of the forest.

He sat up and looked towards his available weapons. Its black hilt seemed innocuous lying untouched on the ground where it had been mere hours ago. Hux felt like he was forbidden to touch it, which he thought was ridiculous. He hadn't touched it, though.

In his coat he kept a small blaster with him that he was quite capable with. He hadn't expected to need it, but if the present uninvited company was to creep any closer, he might have to. It was probably safer within arm's reach.

Part of him was dreading nightfall. It was only an hour away at this point, and the shadows of the trees were reaching over the camp. The sky, which for the last two days had been absolutely cloudless, was now covered by grey clouds that blocked the amber glow of the sunset. It seemed colder without Ren here.

He thought that perhaps the change in weather was part of the training Ren was no doubt enduring, but weather manipulation seemed outside the scope of two force users. Then again, Hux didn't pretend to know anything about the force.

After a brief supper, Hux began to realize and accept his complete solitude and abandonment on this planet. He was going to make Ren pay for it when he returned.

As he lay under the tent once made for two, he found the noises outside to be much quieter than they used to be, the planet seemed less vibrant, and sleep was elusive once more.

His eyes received no help from the moon in the darkness. There was always something strange about sleeping in complete darkness, when it is hard to tell if your eyes are closed or wide open, and you want to open them as far as they can go, because you know there is something out there, if only you could see it.

The rustling was back, closer than it had dared venture before. There were growls and the sound of claws against stone. The creatures were right outside his feeble cloth tent. Hux felt the cold blaster tucked tight to his chest. His nerves steeled as they always had in training.

These things clearly wanted to kill him, and he wasn't going to go out without a fight.  
\-----------------------------------  
He was on his knees before Snoke.

They had meditated together and he now knew the way forward. Kylo Ren would become a master of the dark side.

Well, "knowing" the forward was inaccurate. They knew that there was a way forward. In the force, the two force users could see a future in which Kylo Ren was a feared dark force user. All beings in the galaxy would fear him and the pitiful pursuits of the resistance would bow to him.

How to do that was still a mystery.

The stage had been set. Deep, earthy smoke filled the air of the dark cavern. The spirits of the Knights of Ren surrounded him, giving him strength, and fueling his connection to these visions.

Snoke chanted above all of them. The words echoed throughout the caverns and reverberated inside Kylo's chest.

A bead of sweat ran down Kylo's forehead. He had no idea how long he had spent in the cave without light or rest. It took tremendous effort to keep his mind outside of his physical body and focused on his future. Force users believed that the force could help sensitive beings perceive information, whether that information came from elsewhere in the galaxy or elsewhere in time. They also believed that it was nearly impossible to direct these visions. The force typically had its own plan for what it wanted you to see.

Many had tried to manipulate the force as they were doing now. Snoke's training had consisted of studying the old ways of force users in the galaxy. They looked back to the traditions of the Sith and learned from their failures.

This ritual was the culmination of Snoke's research and it was yielding mixed results. They were shown the rise of a First Order future, the fall of the resistance, and the master Kylo Ren. They were not shown the next step to getting there, however. 

The smoke was choking him now. It was too hot in here, too loud, and too dark. Kylo grabbed his head in his heads and pressed his head to his knees.

"Enough." he said, wrenching his eyes open.

As though a candle had been snuffed, the atmosphere in the cavern was cold, dark, and quiet.

"Kylo Ren?" Snoke said it as both a question and a threat.

He found his body was soaked in sweat. The apparitions of the Knights of Ren had vanished like dew under the morning sun. His hair was tangled and fell into his face.

"I said enough. We've been at this for hours, if it was going to work it would have by now."

"You doubt my wisdom?"

Kylo looked up to his master, still kneeling on the floor. "A master trusts his instincts. We have failed."

"Perhaps your patience has failed you. How do you suggest we proceed, apprentice?" Snoke said the last word like a threat.

"I must prepare for my Sacrifice." He alluded to their conversation hours (?) before. This was a tradition he had focused his personal studies on. The Sith performed the Sacrifice in order to solidify their devotion to the dark side of the force. The Sith hopefuls sacrificed someone close to them, a person who they were inextricably close to, an innocent. They did it in the hopes that their agony would bring peace and order to the galaxy. Peace can only come from pain.

That was the plan anyway.

"Yes, the Sacrifice." If it were possible for Snoke to roll his eyes, he probably would have. "Unless you plan to execute me, which I can assure you would end poorly, there existws no one now who you can sacrifice to the cause. Your isolation and training has left you friendless and alone. I appreciate your nobility in attempting this folly, but it is unnecessary."

"I think we've just proven its necessity. I exist on the brink of fulfilling my destiny, but for the completion of my training. I have the potential for more power than even you possess, and now I know that you have no idea how we are to proceed." Kylo was furious.

"I do not enjoy hearing my own words thrown back at me." He regarded his apprentice with displeasure and studied him with a critical gaze.

"Do you know why the Sith are no longer I existence?" This was a question Snoke had spent years drilling into Kylo's mind.

"The Rule of Two led to their extinction." Kylo responded by rote.

"Why?" Snoke pressed.

"Their individual ambitions meant that there could only be one master and one apprentice. The culture was never allowed to grow, and despite being far more powerful, they were always outnumbered by the inferior Jedi."

Snoke sat on his throne and leaned back upon it. "We have learned from their failures and I am prepared to make you a master of the dark side."

"Like my grandfather before me."

Snoke paused. "Yes, like Darth Vader before you. It shall be the first time in centuries that there are two masters alive at the same time. We shall be a force for order in the Galaxy."

He leaned forward to stare down at Kylo. "I have spent many years preparing you, my apprentice. It has all led to the moment you arise a dark lord, as I once did. I have seen that moment clearly, and I am making the proper preparations for it, but as we have now both seen, there I something that stands in the way of that future. There is something that continues to obstruct the path that lies before us."

"If I perform the Sacrifice, my devotion to the dark side will never again be questioned. No one shall dare-"

"That was what that stunt on Starkiller base was, wasn't it?" Snoke interrupted. "An attempt at fulfilling the Sacrifice?"

Kylo felt the words fall from his throat.

"That was a foolish errand, Kylo Ren. You have seen that now."

"Yes, master."

Snoke stood from his throne. His head was lit by a ray of new morning light from an air shaft in the ceiling above.

"Arise, Lord Ren. I know how we shall proceed."  
\------------------------------------------------------------  
"Where are they?" Mitaka asked a cadet with as much superiority as he could muster.

"Who, sir?" the boy asked with two separate questions.

"The intruders, you idiot!"  
"They were headed to the bridge, sir, likely looking for you."

The air was sucked from his lungs. Of course they would be looking for him, he was the one in charge here.

His feet seemed cemented to the steel floor and his brain was giving them no direction. Should he go to the deck and confront them? That was stupid, they'd likely capture him and take him in for questioning. Suppose they succeeded in taking the ship? Were the intruders members of the resistance? Pirates? He could negotiate with pirates, but the resistance might resort to killing him off and staging a mutiny.

Petty officer Uma Malkoff found him petrified in the corridor. She muscled him over to a doorway alcove.

"What do you think you're doing? Nevermind. The resistance has taken the ship. What are we supposed to do?"

Her lack of respect for his rank brought him back to reality. "Excuse me? What am I supposed to do about it?"

Her jaw dropped momentarily. "Your job?"

Neither of them had a chance to continue speaking.

"Freeze! Hands where I can see them and no sudden movements."

Uma felt a blaster pressed against her back.

Mitaka saw the Resistance pilot in orange and white look down at the rank insignia on Mitaka's uniform.

"We can't seem to find the General, so I guess you'll have to do."

Another pilot, a woman, placed her gun at his back and instructed him to move forward. They were headed for the bridge.

Mitaka was having trouble believing this was actually happening. The Finalizer was mammoth, a shining beacon of the First Order. As the two of them were moved along hallway after hallway, with surprising knowledge of the inner workings of the ship, Mitaka noted how small the effort to take the ship had been. With the defenses compromised, reinforcements for the Resistance were flooding the docking bay, but the initial insurgence had consisted of only ten or so pilots.

The bridge, usually a hive buzzing with activity, was practically deserted. All that remained were two men, one was lounging in front of the massive windows with one foot dangling over a logistics processor and the other was pacing the walkway in an unintentional impersonation of General Hux.

The man by the windows appeared much more relaxed than his partner, who snapped to attention when they were brought in. A bead of sweat was making its way down his forehead. 

"Thank you, Pava, Iolo. You can leave them with us. I'm sure the fighting's not done yet." The man flashed them an easy smile and the pilots left. Their faces held half reflections of his smile, not nearly as intoxicating as the original. 

"Well, Lieutenant Mitaka. We have a lot to talk about."  
\------------------------------  
Hux was covered in blood. 

In the melee, he had tried to remember exactly what Ren had told him about the inhabitants of this planet. He didn't remember much, so he was fairly certain that Ren had not told him that they were likely to kidnap him in the middle of the night.

Yes, despite his valiant efforts, the bipedal, feline creatures had ties him up and were taking him deep into the forest. Clearly, they had never encountered a blaster before, by the way that they continued climbing closer and closer, and snarling ominously. They were soon informed of the blaster's proper use when he wielded it with deadly accuracy. The creatures were not overly impressed.

Despite all of the pain and embarrassment he was suffering from, Hux was proud of how many of his adversaries he had taken out before one tackled him to the ground. He hadn't gone soft since his days at the Academy. Most of his shots had found their marks in the hairy chests of the attacking heathens.

Some had fallen, though evidently not enough. Blaster Wounds could kill if they hit the right spot, and could cause excruciating pain if they struck elsewhere. The creatures had screamed in pain, sounding almost human and grating on his already high-strung nerves.

There had been about ten creatures in the party that had attacked him. From his tied up position, being carried by two of them, he surmised that he had killed or wounded about six of them.

Rage was still firing his heart. He could hear his pulse pounding in his ears. The animals had bound his wrists in coarse rope that chafed his wrists when he fought against it. They had taken care not to harm him, which was definitely odd considering how hard he had tried to hurt them. 

Slowly, he tried to take control over his breathing and his heart rate. The warrior reflexes he had nearly forgotten about had served him well, but he needed a cooler head to negotiate escape. 

Ren had told him that these creatures would leave outsiders alone as long as they remained unprovoked. He knew there were those who deemed him an unpleasant person, but he was fairly certain he had done nothing to warrant kidnapping. 

It was impossible to see anything in the dark and under these awful trees. Those beady bright green eyes must be especially good at seeing in low light. They were so bright they seemed to almost produce their own light to see by. The cats growled and hissed to each other. Foliage, rocks, and roots were crunched under a few different pairs of feet. There was no way of knowing where they were going to take him.

The two figures carrying him appeared to have no trouble bearing his weight. Their footsteps retained the same cadence as the other footfalls even with his form slung between them.

When the group stopped marching at last, Hux had nearly fallen asleep. They dropped his form unceremoniously to the ground, and he jumped to get himself into something of a defensive position. The nights were longer than the days here, and the darkness was not about to let up just yet.

Shapes were huddled in the dark. The few who had brought him here seated themselves with a group of ten others. They all appeared to be adults of the species and Hux was not about to hazard a guess at a gender. He was left bound, but outside the circle and seemingly ignored. He waited for someone to turn to him with a ceremonial dagger or to carry him to some uncommonly large cooking pot. Granted, these were the thoughts of someone who had rarely left his home planet as a child, outside of school history texts and fairytales. 

Ren had said they were a tribal species, primitive and uncivilized. His mind had made the jump to savages, though he supposed a small part of that might be unwarranted at this juncture. They had tied him up though, they didn't deserve much credit just yet. 

The circle began to chant, if that was something cat-like creatures could do with their anatomy. He wouldn't have thought so, but only a fool ignores the proof of his own senses. A strange cacophony rose into the air and continued for far longer than Hux would have liked. some anthropologist out there in the galaxy would probably kill to get the chance to witness what was happening in front of him. Hux decided he would rather kill them to get out of here.

A gag on his mouth prevented him from disrupting their ceremony, and he struggled to think of a way out of this. Bound hands seized on the only tool he had with him, the one he hadn't thought he'd actually need. It's metallic hilt was cold in his hands. He needed to position it just right, or risk hurting himself terribly and alerting his captors.

No one noticed the way he kept turning and adjusting it between his hands. He took a deep breath when he felt he could be no surer that it was in the right spot. He looked to the sky and pressed the button to fire the weapon. With a burst of power it ignited and sliced through the bonds like air, as though they didn't exist.

Not a single head turned at the sound or sight of Kylo Ren's lightsaber being called to action. Hux found it odd, but continued freeing himself with the saber. When he was able to stand, he readied himself with the blade, knowing he was wholly unequipped to use it and that he was damn well going to try.

A light appeared out in the forest. At first, Hux assumed it was the sun emerging from behind the forest's mess of trees. He instantly knew the assumption was incorrect, but couldn't quite understand what he was seeing. 

Stepping out from the woods and into the clearing and the circle of beasts was the ghostly woman from the night before all green and bright and resplendent, the lady of the dying light.

She appeared just as she had the night before. There was sadness in her eyes that she hid when she looked her worshippers and spoke softly to them in their language. Even her smile betrayed sorrow despite its loveliness. She smiled at Hux who was still prepared to wield the lightsaber against the whole lot of them.

"You look just as my brother did. I see so much of him in you."

The green eyes turned to stare holes in Hux, eyes torn from their goddess.

"You shall do what he never did, Armitage. You shall save me."

Hux nearly dropped the lightsaber at the sound of his first name. It brought back memories of his childhood on Arkanis and his mother.

"I don't have to save anyone." It sounded better in his head, out loud it rang petulant and impulsive.

"You are so full of darkness, but it does not consume you as it does all else. You alone will be able to help him when the time comes. You can save me."

Hux pressed the button on the lightsaber, depriving them all of its fiery red light. "I understand the confusion, but I believe you're making a mistake." It dawned on him that they were looking for Ren and now the whole situation was a lot easier to understand, even if it made absolutely no sense to him. 

"I know who you are, Alabastan Hux." Shit, she did, didn't she. "The monster that haunts this planet has control over your friend-"

"He's not my friend, I hate him!"

"They will come for me when the time is right and I will have no protection. I am a shadow of what I used to be, a mere memory, for I was killed not too long ago. I thought that I would never truly die, but they will come to prove me wrong."

She had him frozen to his spot by her mere gaze. Her eyes held yellow golden light that never wavered. "What the hell are you?"

"Even I am not sure. I came from far away and yet I came from everywhere. I am dead and yet I can still be killed-"

"I was not tied up and dragged here to listen to riddles."

Her laugh was a tinkling sound. "I am the sister and I embody the light side of the force."

Snoke had picked the wrong planet to live on. 

"Actually, he chose precisely the right one. He seeks to destroy my very essence, as the Sith of Korriban tried to long ago. They succeeded in only concentrating much of my presence here, and hiding me from the Galaxy."

That explained why the planet was hidden from radar.

"Though I embody the light, I am unable to concentrate my form like this under the light of Horuset. The sun is rising and I must tell you something before I go-"

Something rustled in the forest behind Hux. It was difficult to steal his eyes away from the woman. He saw nothing but trees and the pink hues of daylight blushing in the sky.

"You are not sensitive to the force, but your destiny will shape the Galaxy," The feline creatures bared their teeth at something unseen behind Hux. 

"The horrors you have endured and inflicted shape who you are. Never turn your back on what you have-"

Two large hands seized the lightsaber dangling from Hux's fingers. It was ignited at once in a swirl of black. The creatures launched themselves at the startling new figure and found themselves cut down mid-flight. 

Dawn had broken overhead and the night's ritual was over. The bodies of the worshippers lay scattered and bloodied at their feet. Hux should have known who was lurking in the bushes instantly, but hadn't guessed at it until the lightsaber left his hands.

"Ren, you absolute idiot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! See you next chapter


	8. Plans for the Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It updated! I hope no one thought this was abandoned, I went through a period of self doubt with where this fic was headed and seriously considered a complete overhaul and editing. In the end, I decided it was going where I wanted it to and I wound up really satisfied with this next chapter. You've also likely noticed that I've changed the title of this fic! (unless I haven't done that in time for you to read it which would be unfortunate). I just didn't feel like the other title worked with the direction I wanted the story to go in or with what I had already posted. I hope to get you the next chapter by Sunday but we'll see how it goes. More notes at the end of the chapter!

The Supreme Leader had made Kylo's attendance at First Order rallies mandatory some time ago. General Hux, as a superior officer was a frequent speaker, for his passion and skill in inspiring moral. Over the course of the few days spent on Serentia, Kylo had conveniently forgotten the red faced nightmare that became the General during his speeches to the First Order.

He was reminded now.

"What on Earth possessed you to such needless destruction I will never understand. How could I have forgotten your infinite skill at being a complete waste of space and physical matter? the nly thing you've ever shown promise in is throwing tantrums like a child. I have no idea why the Supreme Leader insists on trying to cultivate an absolute disgrace such as yourself-"

Initially, Kylo had been extremely confused. Hadn't he just saved the General from a horde of felisians? The General, evidently, did not agree.

Using the force, he silenced Hux stared quizzically at the man until he ran out of steam. His training in speech making, allowed his temper to fume for some time.

Hux, barely acknowledging his audience at this point, began to stroll through the clearing poking at carcasses with the tip of his boots. When he turned away from Kylo and started silently shouting to the whole of the forest (or something, Kylo wasn't sure what was going through Hux's mind), the force user lost all interest. He kept an eye on the rampaging ginger and sat at the base of a tree; the weight of the past day beginning to take a toll.

It had been so long since he had trained like that, with Snoke and the shades of the Knights of Ren. In his youth, he had endured weeks and months of combat and meditation. He had been broken by mental penetration and physical pain. It had only taken a few hours to remind him of that.

He couldn't say whether any of that training had made him stronger. The memories of it clung to him always like his own black cloak. He couldn't say whether his meeting with Snoke had actually produced the desired results. Without the benefit of an order, without traditions, without history to guide them, what determined whether someone was a master of the force?

Together they had studied the dark side extensively. They had determined the strengths and weaknesses of the numerous dark side orders throughout the history of the galaxy, and what had they discovered? The light side always wins.

The dark side was far more powerful than the light. The masters of the dark side had been idols for Kylo in his training. They, and the shades of the Knights of Ren that came before him, were pillars, not of what Kylo wanted to achieve, but what he wanted to surpass.

Snoke always said that his power was so great, it was only limited by the scope of his mind. When he meditated, he could feel his connection to the force, it was as much a part of him as his own hand. It was a fluid thing, connecting the universe in swirls and eddies. It made him feel like a god, lord over the seas, lord over an ocean that was the entirety of space.

That feeling never lasted. Even when in a state of meditation, that feeling was fleeting. He was only ever allowed a taste of true power. Snoke had empathized with that. That was the core of their bond as master and apprentice.

Kylo believed that when he finally mastered the dark side, that power would open up to him. He would be able to witness the workings of the galaxy through the dark side of the force. It would feel as though a dam within him had broken and all the universe's secrets could at last be shown to him.

At least, he hoped it would be like that.

Hux was finishing his tirade and staring down at Kylo on the ground. Thankfully, the rant had allowed his temper to lower from a boiling rage to a simmer, otherwise Hux likely would have kicked him. It didn't look as though he had registered that Kylo couldn't hear a word he was saying and looked remarkably calmer than he had been before.

Hux mouthed something to Kylo. His arms were crossed in front of him and on his face was a familiar sneer.

"What?" asked Kylo, before remembering.

Hux rolled his eyes. "Is your training complete? Can we leave this awful planet at last?"

Kylo wasn't sure how the topic of conversation had made its way around to that, but he was certain he didn't want to know.

"Yes… actually. We can head back to the shuttle at once."

Hux nodded curtly. "At last some good news. Maybe you can get us back there without fucking that up as well?"

Kylo was not really in the mood to ask the General what he thought he had fucked up so terribly.

The force guided Kylo back to their camp. Hux was not overly fond of trusting their navigation to the force, but allowed himself to be led begrudgingly.

When they returned, Kylo took in the sight of their mutilated campsite. Linens were shredded, everything was knocked to the ground or thrown several feet. He knelt to examine a set of tracks in the supple earth. It had been a pack of felisians, but not the ones who had captured Hux. He also noted the black scorch marks on the trees and several areas where large masses had been dragged away into the forest.

"There was quite a battle last night."

"How was I supposed to know that advancing on someone slowly in the night was a sign of friendship for these people?" Hux crouched beside his bag. "I'll have to figure out what supplies we have left. It appears they took my absence as an opportunity to ransack the place."

"They came for the bodies." stated Kylo. Hux failed to look up. "I wouldn't have thought you'd have it in you."

"To kill these creatures? Good to know my reputation is so lacking. I did attend the Academy you know and this is a military operation. I can fight and I'm damn good."

Kylo marveled at the General's selective conscience. 

Hux began taking stock of what was left of their supplies and rather than get in the way, Kylo went on a run. From his time trapped here as an apprentice, he knew of a trail running along the river, likely created by the creatures they had encountered last night. Hux seemed glad to be rid of him for the moment.

After running only a few kilometers, he stopped, panting, beneath a small cave. A rock formation created a shallow opening a rock wall that bordered the river and the path. It was only a few feet deep, big enough for a person, perhaps two. Kylo sat there and began to meditate on his meeting with Snoke.  
\-----------------------------  
Hux had been glad to see Ren go. Despite the feeling of abandonment he'd fought only the day before, only a few minutes with the man had been enough to remind him of all of his faults. He couldn't stand people who shot first and asked questions later. Only fools act on instinct. 

The creatures hadn't done much damage to their belongings. It appeared that they had simply taken a look around and then neglected to put anything back where it was. Hux regarded this as another sign of higher intelligence Ren had ignored in his initial description.

It didn't take long to realize that despite all appearances, nothing had been taken or too badly destroyed. After taking inventory and packing both his bag and Ren's, he took the time to check his holopad for comms from the Finalizer. Hux anticipated quite a few from Mitaka, the man was not well equipped to be thrust into power, but the actual quantity that had amassed during his time away from the ship far surpassed all expectations.

The first few messages were innocuous enough. They were short missives on the day to day operations of the ship, a few pleas for guidance, and not too subtle inquiries as to when he would be returning. Then, the messages grew more frantic. Hux had honestly expected Mitaka to devolve into a complete panic attack before seizing control and actual performing the job worthy of the rank he held. He grew worried when he saw mentions of Phasma grow more and more frequent in the comms. 

The stormtrooper program had been the pride and joy of Commandant Brendol Hux. As his son, Hux took special leadership over the division. Second to him in that area was Captain Phasma, who was capable but could be willful without a strong hand to guide her. Hux massaged his temples with his hand. Mitaka lacked the ability to control Phasma. It wasn't in the instructions he had left with Mitaka because for anyone with half a spine, it should have been obvious. Perhaps Phasma had even taken note of this before taking advantage of the change in leadership.

He continued scrolling through messages to find that Phasma had let the division run rampant on the ship and swiped passed details of fights breaking out in the corridors of his beloved Finalizer. 

This news was regrettable, but not nearly as awful as the last of the five hundred fifty-eight comms that had been sent over his three days planet-side. 

_From: Lt. Dopheld Mitaka  
Subject: Intruders_

_This will likely be my last communication to you, sir, I'm not even sure that you can read these wherever you are. I have just been alerted to intruders and a breach in sector 7. I'm not quite sure where that is but I'm beginning to suspect that it is not too far from my present location. Efforts will be made to purge the rebel scum from the ship, but it seems likely that our efforts will fail. I am headed out now to inspect the situation and will report again once I have attained new information._

Hux searched for another message from Mitaka, one that would let him know that the situation had been dealt with swiftly and unmercifully. There was one more message. It was from Mitaka's account, but it soon became clear that it was not from the lieutenant.

"Shit." said Hux aloud.

_From: Lt. Dopheld Mitaka  
Subject: Greetings General_

_Greetings esteemed General Hux! We've had a fantastic time chatting with our dear friend Mitaka and he gave us access to his First Order commlink channel. Wasn't that sweet of him? We're still just getting to know each other, but I can tell we're going to be good friends. This is Poe writing, by the way, I probably should have mentioned that earlier. Now that I think about it, you're probably thinking "Poe who?" in that dainty Arkanis accent of yours. Poe Dameron, black squadron leader, pilot of the Resistance. Now that we're acquainted, I've got a secret to tell you. Well, you already know what the secret is, given that you're likely standing on it, but I've got another one: we're headed right for it! So stay put General Hux! We've gotten the coordinates from the ship's memory and with a little help from my new bff Mitaka._

_You might be wondering why I would send a message telling you all this. Well, my buddy Mitaka tells me that despite the First Order's excellent broadband connectivity across the galaxy, you very likely can't read this, so it's been fun pretending that you can while Finn has a conniption. You remember Finn, right? I think you guys had a different nickname for him, but I like mine better. Aside from that, this serves as an official arrest warrant from the Resistance forces. As leader of this mission it is my job to issue it and I'll probably do it again once we meet up because this is kind of fun._

_See you soon! General Organa's going to kill me for the wording of this message, but she put me in charge of the mission, so she has no one to blame but herself!_

_< 3 (jk you're a genocidal maniac and I already <3 Finn)_  
Poe Dameron  
Best Pilot in the Resistance 

 

Hux wanted to throw the infernal device he was holding. He had been gone for three fucking days, and for what? To babysit Kylo Ren while he was at school? They had just lost the flagship Resurgent Class Star Destroyer of the First Order Navy. 

This was why force users had no place in the First Order. This was why if he ever met Snoke in person, he would lop off that taunting deformed head with Ren's lightsaber. This was why Hux was going to strangle Kylo Ren when he came back to camp and-

No... no. That wouldn't do. How would he get back to the shuttle? How would he have any chance of escaping the Resistance members en route to capture him? 

When had he become so angry?  
\-----------------------------------------------  
Kylo found his way back to that safe place deep in the force. He wasn't alone.

"Hello, Kylo Ren. How is the training going?" asked the man, crossing his arms in front of him.

"As an all powerful force ghost, shouldn't you know already?"

"Perhaps I wanted an opinion."

"Perhaps you should mind your own business." he shot back angrily. There was a rumble of thunder and Kylo realized that their usual gray surroundings had shifted to a landscape. They sat in a meadow ringed with tall trees; their branches crowned in golden leaves. 

"I don't think that's in your best interest." He was leaning with casual swagger against one of the trees.

"Then maybe you should tell me who you are." Kylo growled. 

The man gave Kylo a hard look. He appeared the same age as him, but the look spoke of something older. 

"Fine," he shrugged. "I can see that secrecy is getting us nowhere. Obi Wan disagrees, but I think you can handle it. I'm Anakin Skywalker."

Kylo stared. "So that's why you never answered me."

Anakin scratched the back of his neck. He tried to seem cool, calm, and relaxed, but Kylo recognized someone entirely out of his depth.

"It's fine, I stopped caring about what you might think of me as I lay alone in the snow on Starkiller. Do you know what it's like to lie beaten, defeated, and alone? Really gives you time to think."

"It wasn't the right time."

"So what is so special about now?"

Anakin seemed stronger now, allowing himself to answer Kylo's anger with some of his own.

"You are in a state of flux, on the verge of being the most powerful force user in the galaxy, but your own character prevents you from unleashing it."

Kylo forced himself to laugh. "I'm not a master of the dark side because I'm confused?" He'd meant it to sound like a joke, but both men could tell that it rang true. Any words he had to follow that statement vanished as soon as he'd said it.

"You've spoke in the past of fulfilling my legacy-"

"Don't turn my own words against me."

Anakin smirked a little. "I can see why you didn't make it as a Jedi. Yoda and Mace Windu loved throwing my words back at me in just such a way as to make me look foolish." His smile faded a little as he spoke. When he looked back at Kylo, he found the younger man studying him with his eyes.

"Luke spoke often of you."

"Did he?"

The leaves above them spiraled to the ground. A yellow leaf landed on Anakin's shoulder and he shrugged it away.

"He said he'd heard bits of your legend from Obi Wan Kenobi, when he was alive. Anakin Skywalker, the brave Jedi Knight. Luke met Darth Vader not long after. He knew more about Darth Vader, whispers heard even by a boy on a moisture farm on Tatooine." Kylo's eyes bore holes into Anakin, who felt pressured to meet them. "He never really knew you though, did he?"

Beyond the two figures were mountains and opposite those lay a city and a palace of white stone, with high towers coming to peaks like the mountaintops they were surrounded by. They stood in a small forest outside of the city. They could look down and see a market place bustling in the weak autumn sunlight.

"No one ever heard the full story of Anakin Skywalker, and no one ever will. Most of it died with you, all of what's left will die with Luke and I doubt he ever found anything close to the full story of how Anakin Skywalker fell or how he rose again. You are a mystery..." He paused. 

"Kylo-"

Kylo snapped back to attention. "Did I say you could speak? You have had every opportunity to plead your case, but it is my turn now to speak for myself." Anakin felt the words 'that's not how the force works' die on his lips.

"I didn't know of our familial connection until I was eight and training with Luke." It looked like the sandy haired Jedi wanted to interrupt. "Perhaps you knew that, given how obsessed you are with me. It was a scandal that rocked the New Republic Senate and I found out from Luke when he heard that the truth had been shockingly revealed to the galaxy. They knew, all of them, my parents and Luke, most of the friends my parents had, and all of them kept it a secret from me. When I turned away from Luke's teachings, I tried to learn more about you, but the ways of the Jedi were shrouded in secrecy, as were the ways of Darth Vader, but I felt a connection to you... I was obsessed."

Anakin's hand made it's way to the back of his neck, a sign of discomfort Kylo recognized. 

"I don't feel that way anymore. I was wrong. There is nothing connecting us besides the fragile bond of blood. Frankly, I don't know how or why I'm able to speak to you, but I hope I don't have the chance to do so again. I'm through with you."

A previous Anakin might have launched himself at Kylo and forced him to listen to what he had to say. In death, Anakin had come to the realization that perhaps this tendency was a reason he was not alive to do so in person. He could feel Kylo begin to pull himself out of meditation.

"You will need to travel by night, tonight. I trust you will have no trouble facing what you will see in the mist, but do be careful with your friend. I fear he will have a difficult time of it."

"Thank you, O wise Anakin, my savior. I shall take heed of your advice." Kylo rolled his eyes, believing there was absolutely nothing the force ghost could do about it.

After waking up feeling like someone had punched him in the gut, Kylo ran back to Hux.

The General was in a state of quiet panic when he returned. His copper hair, which had taken a beating over the course of their journey, had been tousled into a disheveled state by nervous hands.

"Where have you been?" asked Hux before answering himself, "Never mind that." 

Kylo eyed him strangely when he let out a sharp burst of air, a laugh? 

"Never mind anything anymore, seeing as we're about to be arrested."

Kylo was afraid his companion had gone mad in his absence. "What are you talking about?"

Hux explained in a monotone, the situation they were now in.

"So unless you can use the force to teleport is to the next system, you might have a reunion with your mum in short order, while I'll like meet my own end. I wonder how they execute war criminals in the New Republic, hanging? injection? electric chair? or will it be something public and gruesome like a burning at the stake?"

Kylo didn't appreciate this new cheerfully morbid Hux. "What if there was a way to get off this planet and quickly, how much time would we need?"

Hux laughed with a crazed look in his eyes. "There's no point Kylo. I've analyzed all of our options. It took nearly three days to get here and the best we have is two days if they've stopped to get the hyper-drive repaired, to get back to the shuttle before they arrive." He spoke at the feverish pace of a man backed into a corner.

" And even if we did manage to get to the shuttle before they get here we'd still have to-"

General Hux was silenced with a short kiss from Kylo Ren. His mouth was slightly ajar from the spew of words left hanging from his lips. His green eyes were wide open in shock.

"I have an idea. Perhaps not one you've considered, but I need you to hear me out." Ren spoke in slow, measured tones while keeping his eyes locked with Hux's.

"But why would you-"

"We will need to travel by night. I advised against it when we had other options, but seeing as we don't-"

"Couldn't you have-"

"The forest created visions designed to distract and create fear. I believe Snoke either created or manipulated them, but I've been trained against them. With my help, the two of us will be able to reach the shuttle by midday tomorrow if we leave now."

"You kissed me."

"Yes, I did. Let's get moving, General."

As it typically did, the mention of his official title snapped Hux back to attention. He had their things already packed and they were on their way within minutes. Kylo brushed his tongue over his lips, not sure if he could taste Hux still lingering on them. They had a long night ahead of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing this, I now have a head cannon that Poe uses texting shorthand in all of his official transcripts and writes as though he were speaking to the person so naturally, they are rather flirty.
> 
> I now have a tumblr! So please come find me on there http://keep-on-leggin.tumblr.com
> 
>  
> 
> I'm brand new on tumblr and have no followers (aside from a few porn blogs and could someone please tell me how to block those!) and I'm working on getting an ask/submit bar on the blog so I can start making friends and talking to people about nerdy stuff (maybe you can bother me about writing this fic at a reasonable pace!)
> 
> I'm not sure if you are aware of Armitage-geddon that happened over the weekend, but I've decided to make that Hux's first name in this story and I've changed it in the previous chapter. It doesn't play a role in the plot and I decided it was kind of similar to the name I had created for him and I liked it better.
> 
> There. That's a lot of notes!  
> Thanks for reading!


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